Blaze the Monferno
by Madax Davids
Summary: Follow the story of Blaze, a young and innovative Monferno that travels in the region of Sinnoh, seeking the secret to evolution. In his quest for power Blaze will encounter strong opponents, helpful allies, and curious humans.
1. Chapter 1

It was dark when the Monferno finally regained his senses. The high pitched chirping of the Kriketots rang in the fire monkey's ears as he sat up, still groggy from fainting. The thick, sturdy trees of the Eterna forest rose up all around him in the pale moonlight. The rain of the previous afternoon still lingered on the forest. The trees dripped, the ground was damp, and a slight fog hung in the air, like the ghost of the dark clouds from earlier. Blaze, the Monferno, wearily lifted himself to his feet. As he did, a sharp pain shot up his right arm. Blaze bit his lip to keep from crying out. Using the light from his tail fire he examined his arm. By its light Blaze saw that his arm was streaked crimson with fresh blood. He moved his gaze higher up his arm and winced. Sticking out of his shoulder was a four inch barb from a Beedrill's Twinneedle. The green, barbed needle was painful took look at. He considered leaving it in until he could find help. He knew, however, that if he was attacked again that needle would seriously hamper his movement. Blaze took a few deep breaths as he prepped himself to remove the barb. This was going to hurt. He stumbled to a nearby tree and ripped off a small branch with his good arm. Placing the branch between his teeth, Blaze set his back against the sturdy tree and closed his eyes. Wrapping his hand around the thick needle sent another jolt of pain through his arm. Biting down hard on the branch, Blaze steeled himself.

1….2…..3….

SSSSSTTHHUUNNKK!

A small shriek of pain slipped through his lips as the barb came out with a sickening noise. Sweat beaded down Blazes face, spitting out the branch, he fell to one knee. Fresh blood ran down his arm from a nickel sized hole in his shoulder. The Monferno nearly passed out again, but managed to retain consciousness as he pushed off from the tree. He stumbled over to the spot where he had fainted and looked around for his pack. There was barely enough light coming from his fire and the moon to see. He found the small white pack hanging from the branch where he had put it earlier that day. The pack had a single strap that looped around his neck and shoulder, perfect for travel. He breathed a sigh of relief as he looked inside and saw all his belongings were still there. His "belongings" consisted of a couple different berries and some extra silk from the discarded Silcoon husk he had found. He had used up most of the silk making the pack, but there was just enough left for a bandage. He was about to toss away the barb, but faltered as it glinted in the moonlight, still shining with his blood. After a few seconds of thinking he dropped the barb into his pack, but he wasn't exactly sure why. Reaching into the pack he pulled out and gobbled down a few Oran berries. Blaze then took the extra silk from the pack and wrapped it tightly around the wound. The silk stuck to itself tight, like Velcro, and instantly a small red stain began to bleed through. It hurt, but at least he could use his arm again. The Oran berries had restored a bit of his health and he was ready to keep moving. Favoring his right arm, Blaze began to climb through the trees, looking for more food. After about an hour, he had a pack full of berries and nuts to eat. He ate his midnight meal quickly and soon fell asleep on a high branch with a full belly.

With morning came a refreshing new day for Blaze. As he looked around the sunrise created a symphony of colors by reflecting off the shimmering forest. As much as Blaze hated the rain, it really did make some beautiful sights. Standing up on the branch, Blaze stretched out his weariness and flexed his arm a few times. He felt he was nearly back to full health after scavenging for food the night before, but his arm was going to need something a little stronger than berries. Strapping on his pack, the monkey climbed to the top of the tree, hoping it was tall enough to see above the landscape. As his head popped out of the top of the tree limbs he squinted, the direct sunlight was bright . The warmth of the sun was a welcome change to the damp underbrush of the forest floor. Blaze quickly scanned the horizon and spotted what he was looking for. Off to his right side, about a mile away, a small column of smoke rose through the trees and into the air. With a satisfied grin the fire monkey quickly began to move through the shimmering trees, towards what was surely a human camp.

As he swung through the trees, Blaze tried to remember what had happened the day before. He was making a trip through Eterna forest, looking for food. Nothing really out of the ordinary, until that storm hit. Blaze snarled at the thought of the storm, he hated rain, and when those clouds rolled in, it began to pour. Along with the fact that he simply did not like being wet, the rain seriously cut down the power of his fire attacks. Of course he had other types of attacks, but fire was his best. So, after the rain began to come down hard, he rushed into the nearest tree, planning on waiting out the storm. What happened after that? His memory was a bit foggy after being knocked out….Oh! That was it, he got into a battle. When he took shelter in the tree, he managed to disturb a swarm of Beedrill. Before he knew it, Blaze had about twenty Beedrill flying around him. Now, if the weather had been sunny, or even normal, Blaze probably could have fended them of. But it was _pouring_ and he was outnumbered by a longshot. Blaze made a dash to try and escape the Beedrill, and nearly lost them once or twice. But they always managed to catch up, buzzing angrily after him. Finally Blaze came to a small clearing and decided to make a stand. He hung his pack on a nearby branch and turned to face the swarm. They whipped back and forth around the fire monkey making it hard to pick a target. Baring his fangs, Blaze growled loudly and launched himself at the nearest Beedril. He took it down with a strong set of Fury Swipes and quickly bounced back into position. After that he began to feel the sharp pain of Poison Stings from all directions. He attacked and took down a couple more Beedrill that flew too close. He even managed to spin into a Flame Wheel, more for show than anything, his fire was very weak at the moment. The sight of the fire made many of the Beedrill falter. The Poison Stings stopped and it seemed as though they were going to leave. Blaze made a big show of beating his chest and puffing up his tail flame, trying to get the bugs to back off. It almost worked, the Beedrill were starting to recede back into the forest when their leader came out. It was a huge Beedrill, larger than any Blaze had ever seen, and as it made its way into the clearing, its followers began to swarm again. Blaze wiped the rainwater from his eyes and did his best to look intimidating. The giant bug didn't seem fazed. The other Beedrill formed a large ring around Blaze and their leader. There would be no escape form this. Faster than the eye could see Blaze launched a Mach Punch that caught the Beedrill by surprise. There was a sharp crack as Blaze's fist connected with the Beedrill's tough exoskeleton. It didn't seem to do much damage, but it did disorientate the large Beedrill. Flying wildly, the Beedrill soared out of Blaze's reach and refocused itself on the fire monkey. If Blaze could have reached a tree he would have been able to reach the leader, but he was trapped in the clearing. The Beedrill launched three rapid volleys of Poison Sting at Blaze from its elevated position. Using his natural dexterity Blaze managed to dodge the first two volleys, but the third hit him squarely in the chest. Blaze was knocked onto the muddy ground by the impact, his tail flame was burning dangerously low. The large Beedrill began to buzz loudly, looking up Blaze saw that it was forming a large Twinneddle attack on both of its stingers. Blaze stumbled to his feet, and instantly doubled over in pain, he had been poisoned. He shuddered in the cold rain as the poison damaged him even further. With a final buzz the Beedrill launched the Twinneddles at Blaze. In a desperate attempt to defend himself, Blaze used the last bit of his energy to spin into a flame wheel. After that…Blaze wasn't sure what happened. The last thing he remembers was waking up on the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

Blaze was so lost in thought that he nearly swung directly into the human encampment. He managed to stop himself on the end of a branch, overlooking the clearing. There was a small, single tent set up next to a dwindling campfire. There was only one human, squatting next to the fire and prodding the embers with a stick. Humans were strange looking creatures, this one had shoulder length blond hair that was tied back with a white bandana. He had on a red shirt with brown, thick shorts. He was also wearing a pair of grey shoes. These "clothes" things were weird. Blaze had traveled through a few human towns and they all wore them. But, he wasn't there to focus on the human. He looked over to the tent and spotted his target. A green backpack. Blaze removed his pack and hung it on the tree. While the human was still distracted by the fire, he dropped from the tree and scampered over to the bag. He stuck his head and arms inside the top of the pack and began to search for a small purple bottle. He had once watched a human use one of those bottles to spray their Pokémon after a battle. It healed the Pokémon instantly. The throbbing in his arm only made him more eager to get the bottle. After scrounging through the pack for a second Blaze found the small bottle. As soon as he had grabbed it, he felt a strong hand clench his tail. With a yelp of alarm Blaze was pulled out of the bag. He soon found himself swinging upside down, bottle in hand, by his tail. The blond human began to laugh at the surprise on Blaze's face.

"Hahaha! Look at that! A Monferno stealing from my bag." Said the blond human. Blaze tried to explain that he needed the healing bottle, but of course the human didn't understand him. He did, thankfully, set Blaze down. Blaze immediately began to try to use the healing bottle on his arm. The only problem was, he couldn't figure out how to use it. Hit bit it, squeezed it, and even beat it on the ground, but the bottle wouldn't work. Watching Blaze struggle with the bottle, the human noticed his bandaged shoulder. "Oh!" He exclaimed. "You're hurt, here let me help." The human took the bottle from Blaze and unscrewed the tip. He looked like he was going to spray Blaze with the bottle. But stopped suddenly, like he had an idea. "On second thought, I've got a better idea." Blaze looked questioningly at the blond human. "I'll heal you, but only if you battle with my Pokémon afterwards. How bout' it?" Blaze thought the idea was a bit….redundant. But there might not be another human with a healing bottle for a while, and his arm needed fixing. Blaze nodded in agreement. "Yes!" Exclaimed the human. "Okay take off your bandage." Blaze pulled his tail around and burned the bandage off in one swipe. The human then sprayed his wound with the bottle and it instantly began to close up. After a few more sprays, it was completely healed. Blaze tested his arm out with a few cartwheels and handstands. It felt better than ever. The human seemed amused with Blazes excitement.

"Now for your part of the deal." Said the human. He grabbed a red and white ball off of his belt and threw it towards Blaze. It cracked opened and a bright red light shot forward onto the ground. In a moment there was a Jolteon standing in front of him. Blaze might have been intimidated by the fully evolved Pokémon earlier, if he had met it in the wild. "All right! Get ready!" yelled the human. The Jolteon quickly lowered its body in an attack position and growled at Blaze. Blaze sneered, he figured only weak Pokémon allowed themselves to be captured by trainers. A strong Pokémon could survive well enough on his own. Blaze crouched into position himself and the two Pokémon began to circle each other.

"Ready to lose, chimp?" Chided the Jolteon.

"To a human's pet like yourself, never." Replied Blaze.

"Jolteon, Quick Attack!" Yelled the human. The Jolteon took on a whitish glow and lunged at Blaze with teeth bared. Thinking quickly, Blaze met the attack head on with a Mach Punch.

SMACK!

Blaze's fist connected squarely with the Jolteon's forehead. It slid backwards a few feet, wincing in pain. Blaze shook off his stinging knuckles and smirked.

"Is that all you got?" Taunted Blaze. The Jolteon began to growl deeply.

"Pin Missile, go!" Ordered the human. The Jolteon jumped away from Blaze and launched a series of green tinted needles at Blaze from his fur. Great, thought Blaze, more bug stuff. Immediately he spun into a flame wheel and rushed towards the Jolteon. The needles were easily burned up by Blaze's fire. The Jolteon yelped in alarm as Blaze collided with him. He floored his opponent and rolled over him with a spin. As the smoldering Jolteon picked himself off the ground, Blaze jumped onto a nearby tree limb. He swung upside down by his tail and began to taunt the Jolteon again.

"Monkey see, monkey do! This monkey made a fool of you!"

"Jolteon, Thunderbolt!"

"Uh Oh" Thought Blaze. Before he could react, the Jolteon shot a powerful stream of lightning at Blaze. He saw stars as the bolt struck his chest. His teeth rattled from the electricity and he dropped to the ground on his back.

"Taunt me some more, chimp." Said the Jolteon.

Blaze wasn't sure if the burning in his cheeks was from shame or leftover electricity. Fine then, he asked for it. In one swift movement Blaze jumped up and dove straight into the ground. Using Dig wasn't his favorite technique, but it always surprised his opponents. He burrowed his way directly under the Jolteon and paused to gather his strength. The electric Pokémon was still trying to figure out had gone when the ground erupted underneath him. The force of Blaze launching himself upward knocked the Jolteon several feet into the air. He landed next to his trainer, unconscious.

"Shoot!" Exclaimed the trainer. A look of frustration passed over his face and then he sighed. "You fought well Jolteon, return." The trainer zapped his Jolteon back into its Pokeball. By the time he looked back up, Blaze was gone.

After Blaze retrieved his pack he began putting some distance between himself and the trainer. The battle had taken more out of him than he planned. After he had traveled a couple of miles and scavenged some food, he bedded down in a tree for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Blaze awoke slowly the next morning, laying on the tree branch in a half daze. The warmth of the early morning sun swayed him to not get up. He adjusted into a more comfortable position and laid there for a few moments, staring at the sunlight shimmering through the trees. His mind wandered back to his family, about how much he missed them. Suddenly Blaze felt a strong wave of homesickness wash over him. He began to think about why he had traveled into the forest, and what he was doing there. His mother had told him that, at some point, all Pokémon have to find their own way. She had told him that it was time for him to enter into his final evolution, and care for himself. Blaze missed his family dearly, but he knew she was right. He could feel it in his bones. She told him that if he traveled to the deepest part of the Eterna forest, he would find the power he needed for his final evolution. The only problem was, he had no idea where the deepest part was. He had been wandering aimlessly through the forest for a week.

Blaze was snapped out of his stupor by the sound of twigs crunching underneath him. Sitting upright, Blaze leaned over the branch and peered onto the forest floor. A young Kirlia was passing directly underneath him, walking daintily across the roots of the tree and continuing into the forest. Curious, Blaze followed her by silently jumping from tree to tree. Kirlia weren't native to this forest. What was she doing here? Was she lost? Blaze watched her more intently. No, she definitely wasn't lost, she was walking with a strong sense of direction. She was a young Kirlia, he could see that, probably about the same age as himself. She wasn't carrying anything, not a single bit of supplies. Maybe she lived somewhere nearby. But if she didn't, she wouldn't last two days in this forest. She stopped suddenly, as if she had heard something. But Blaze was certain he hadn't made a sound while following her. A piece of dust flew into Blaze's eye and he blinked hard a few times to get it out. When he looked back down on the ground, the Kirlia was gone. He looked farther down the path and didn't see her. Where did she go? It was like she disapea-.

"Why are you following me?" Blaze was startled so bad he jumped and banged his head on the branch above him, hard. Blaze grabbed the top of his head and dig a little jig of pain when he landed back on his limb. Eyes watering, Blaze looked to where the voice had come from. Standing a little farther out on the limb was the Kirlia he had been watching. Perched lightly, and frowning at him intently.

"How did you know I was – I mean I wasn't following you." Said Blaze, wiping the water from his eyes. The Kirlia rolled hers.

"Sure, you were just going the exact same direction I was while staying behind me and in the trees."

"But how did you know-?" Repeated Blaze.

"I'm a Psychic type you dunce. You can't sneak up on a Psychic type." The Kirlia smirked and brushed her green hair out of her eyes. Her large, purple…really pretty eyes….Bah!

"I wasn't following you!" Insisted Blaze.

"Fine, whatever." The Kirlia turned around and began to walk off the branch. Blaze thought she was about to jump off, but instead she began to glow slightly. In the blink of an eye she vanished into thin air. Blaze stood there, staring dumfounded at the place she had been not a moment ago. His ears picked up the familiar sound of twigs breaking on the ground. When he looked down, the Kirlia was walking down the path again, as if nothing had happened.

"Hey wait!" Blaze scrambled down the tree and ran to catch up to her. "Where are you going?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are obviously going somewhere, so where?" Asked Blaze.

"You're a nosy little monkey aren't you?" Replied the Kirlia. Blaze growled.

"Don't call me that."

"Then what _should_ I call you." Asked the Kirlia, looking over at Blaze.

"B-Blaze, my name's Blaze." Blaze stuttered when he looked into her eyes.

"Hm, that's nice. My name's Rose." Replied Rose.

"So, where are you going, Rose." She smiled. Blaze's stomach fluttered when she did that.

"To the deepest part of the forest." She replied. Blaze stumbled, that sounded extremely familiar.

"To find the power needed to evolve?" Asked Blaze. Rose stopped and turned on him.

"How did you know that?" She demanded.

"I – uh, well." Why was talking to this girl so hard when she was looking at him? "I was going there too."

"Hmm, seems we have a goal in common. Want to travel together?" Questioned Rose.

"Wha- Where did that come from?" Asked Blaze.

"Well, you obviously don't know where you're going. And I have been having some, uh, problems with the local bugs." Blaze decided not to mention his previous run in with the Beedrill. "So how about we get there together? Think about it." He did think about it. Wander aimlessly through a dangerous forest. Or travel with a pretty companion who knows where she's going. It didn't take long for Blaze to decide.

"Sounds like a plan." He Blaze. The two Pokémon continued walking through the sunny, green forest. Unaware of the trials and peril that lay ahead of them.


	4. Chapter 4

"I meant to ask you, what's with the pack?" Blaze the Monferno and Rose the Kirlia were continuing their trek through the Eterna forest on a bright, warm summer day. The two had only mey earlier that day and were still getting to know each other.

"Well." Replied Blaze. "Sometimes when you're traveling you can go several days without finding a source of food. This pack lets me store food in advance, in case I run out." Blaze pulled his single strap, white pack off his back and opened it as they walked. "See, I've got enough food in here for at least another day of travel."

"What's that barb thing?" Asked Rose. Blaze quickly closed the pack and slung it on his back. How could he have forgotten the barb was in ther?.

"It's uhh, nothing. Just a little thing I found." Replied Blaze, hoping she would let it go.

"Oh, okay." Said Rose, unconvinced. Blaze was eager to change the subject.

"So why don't you carry any supplies?" Asked Blaze. "That seems a bit risky."

"Well, I uh, actually only starting traveling today." She admitted sheepishly. "This is my first time on my own and I didn't really think about it." She brushed her hair back and titled her head down. She seemed a bit embarrassed.

"Well then." Said Blaze. "I'm just gonna have to _make_ you a pack. We can't have you going without supplies if we get separated." Blaze jumped to the nearest branch and began to swing slowly from tree to tree as they continued.

"You'd do that, for me?" Asked Rose, taken aback slightly.

"Of course, and in exchange, you can teach me that disappearing move you did earlier." Replied Blaze as he swung. Rose laughed.

"I don't think that will work." She giggled. Blaze dropped back down next to Rose.

"Why not?"

"Teleport is a very specific move. I've never heard of a non-Psychic type using it." Blaze's shoulders slouched forward in disappointment.

"Oh, oh well. I can still make you a pack, and tonight we can find some supplies for you to carry." Blaze picked at the cloth of his pack. "Gonna have to find more material though. I'm all out." They walked for a few minutes in silence, listening to the sounds of the forest. Rose seemed to be in deep thought about something. Her eyes were focused intently on the path as she walked in her dainty, ballerina like way. Suddenly her head popped up and she stopped walking.

"Oooh! I know!" She exclaimed. Blaze stopped and turned around to face her.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I felt bad that you were going to make me a pack and everything for nothing, and I was trying to think of a way to repay you." Explained Rose.

"Rose you don't have to-." Blaze was cut off.

"I know, I know, but I want to. And if you're interested there is a move that I know that I _can _teach you." Rose was practically bouncing with excitement. Blaze smiled and nodded his head.

"All right, what is it?" He asked. Rose giggled.

"Stand back and I'll show you." Blaze took a few steps back and sat down with his legs crossed.

"Go for it." He said. Rose tucked her emerald green hair behind her ears and stood up straight. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. As Blaze watched, she began to vibrate. Slowly at first, but gradually getting faster. She then started to vibrate so fast her whole body was a blur. Then, suddenly there were two Kirlias standing in front of Blaze, both still vibrating as if they were mirror images of each other. All of a sudden there were two more Kirlias to Blaze's left and right. He couldn't believe his eyes, how was this possible? How do you make four copies of yourself? But Rose wasn't done. As Blaze stood up in amazement, two more Kirlia's appeared behind him. He was now surrounded on all sides by eight Roses. He felt dizzy trying to keep track of them all. Suddenly there was a tap on his left shoulder. As he turned there was a tug on his tail. He spun around quickly and grabbed, but got nothing but air. Rose giggled, and her voice seemed to be coming from all sides.

"Okay, okay, you win." Blaze threw up his hands in submission. As quickly as they appeared, the doubles vanished, and Rose was standing in front of Blaze again. "How did you do that?" Blaze asked in astonishment. "I consider myself to be really fast, but you were on a whole different level." Rose blushed.

"It's an old technique, I've known for a long time. It's called Double Team, you move so fast that it leaves an afterimage of your body and gives the illusion of being in two places at once." She explained.

"But there were eight of you!" Replied Blaze. Rose giggled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Like I said, I've been doing it for a long time. When we're young my species doesn't attack much. We evade and distract, then escape." Rose cocked her head to the side. "What about you?" Blaze balked as Rose focused on him with her big, purple eyes.

"Me? Well uh, let's see." Blaze scratched his head for a second. "My species is about the exact opposite. I've hardly ever known a move that wasn't about attacking….." Rose frowned a bit. "But I still want to learn Double Team!" Blaze said rapidly. Rose did a little twirl of joy.

"Hooray! Okay let's get started. First, clear your mind." Before Rose could get any further, Blaze's ears perked up. What was that sound? He closed his eyes and focused. It was getting closer, but what was it? A chill ran up Blaze's spine. Buzzing, lots of buzzing. Rose saw the worry on his face.

"Blaze? Whats wro-." Rose was cut off by Blaze grabbing her arm and taking off running. They had to get away, or at least to a clearing. They could never fight them off in the thick of the woods.

"Waah! Blaze what are you doing?" Cried Rose as she stumbled to keep up with the frantic Monferno.

"No time!" He yelled back. "Got to find open space!" The sound of the buzzing was getting louder and by now Rose sensed what he was so worried about. She quickened her pace. As the two crashed through the dense forest, the buzzing became louder and sharper, until it filled their ears. Blaze began to glimpse the Beedrill on his sides as he ran. He saw light breaking through the trees up ahead and ran towards it. Finally they burst into a clearing next to a small lake. As they ran to its center, the swarm of Beedrill poured out of the forest. The two stopped in the center of the clearing and prepared to make a stand. Blaze dropped his bag and pushed Rose behind him, throwing his arms out as the Beedrill surrounded them. The largest Beedrill broke away from the group and hovered in front of Blaze. Once again Blaze puffed up his tail flame and bared his fangs in an attempt at intimidation. He could feel Rose shaking behind him, she was terrified.

"So-so many, b-bugs types." She whimpered. Blaze grew angry, what was these Beedrill's problem? Why wouldn't they leave him alone? To his surprise, the boss Beedrill began to speak. His accent was snappy and sharp, but Blaze could understand it.

"Eterna forest ours, you did not leave first time. Now we kill you." His words caused the other Beedrill to frenzy and swarm. They began to rain Poison Stings down on the duo from all directions. Blaze started to fight back, but soon saw it was pointless. Every time he knocked out a Beedrill, two more took its place. There seemed to be no end to them. As he dropped out of a Flame Wheel, Blaze saw Rose out of the corner of his eye. Despite her fear of the bugs she was masterfully evading their attacks. Using Double Team and Teleport to pop from place to place. Her mistake came when she stopped to launch a Confusion attack. It hardly did any damage to the Beedrill and she was quickly felled by a Twinneedle to the back.

"Rose!" Cried Blaze. As he ran to help her Blaze was slammed in the back by the boss Beedrill. He flew forward and landed next to Rose. Blaze's head rang and he felt his energy drop dangerously low. As he laid there, being pelted by Poison Stings, Blaze looked over at Rose and saw the pain on her face. The desperation and fear were clear on her battered face as her eyes were squeezed shut in pain. In that moment something snapped inside Blaze. Something was unleashed. It burned inside his stomach and rushed throughout his whole body. Flooding him with a fiery energy. He suddenly didn't feel the Beedrill's attacks anymore. As he stood up, his body began to steam. Heat rolled off the fire monkey in waves, and his eyes became as red as the fire on his tail. The swarm caught sight of Blaze as he turned on them. The Beedrill stopped attacking, some began inching away from the group and back to the forest. Confused, Rose opened her eyes and lifted her head to see what had happened. She was then hit by the intense heat that Blaze was putting out. He glanced back at her and she caught sight of the rage in his eyes.

"B-Blaze?" She stuttered in a weak voice.

"Teleport to the water. Now." The tone of his voice left no room for debate. Rose quickly gathered her strength and teleported onto the edge of the lake. The Beedrill took no notice of her. In fact, the Beedril were gathering behind their boss, in the hopes he would be able to deal with Blaze. The boss Beedril was hovering uncertainly in front of him.

"You did not have this power first time." He said. Blaze snarled.

"I had nothing to protect the first time." Blaze threw up his arms and let loose a terrifying screech, unleashing the power within him. The area around him exploded into a column of fire that reached high above the trees. The grass within the column immediately turned to ash and the heat was so intense that Rose had to cover her face. She was nearly twenty feet away. As Blaze threw his arms forward the vortex of fire rushed at the swarm of Beedrill. It sucked every one of the bug Pokémon into its blazing walls, torching them in powerful flames. Blaze felt his rage hit a peak and he threw down his arms, draining the last of his energy. The column collapsed in on itself and exploded with an immense force. The trees surrounding the clearing bent with the wave of power from the implosion and Rose was knocked back into the water. The Beedrill, along with their boss, were launched back into the forest. Some were blackened and burned, while others were still burning and smoking. They wouldn't be bothering Blaze or Rose ever again.

As the red faded from Blaze's eyes he suddenly felt very weary. He fell to one knee, and then to his stomach. As he faded from consciousness he began to worry if he had hurt Rose. Just before he blacked out he saw her emerge from the lake and begin to stumble towards him. She was safe. He fainted with a smile on his lips.


	5. Chapter 5

Rose sat againstthe cave wall with her chin propped up on her knees and arms wrapped around her legs. It was a small cave on the bank of the lake she had managed to teleport Blaze to. The moonlight shimmered over the clear water and reflected into the cave. A cool wind blew in from the lake and caused her to shiver. The small fire she had built cast just enough light for her to see Blaze's sleeping silhouette. She had made a makeshift bed for him out of the moss by the lake bank. His chest rose and fell weakly as he laid on his side, head propped upon his charred pack. The pain on his face was clear even in sleep. After he had dealt with the Beedrill he fell into a deep sleep. The flame on his tail was hardly larger than that of a candle. Rose was beginning to worry he might never wake up. She wrapped her arms tighter around her legs and squeezed her eyes shut. Why did she have to be so useless? Blaze had protected her, saved her from the Beedrill, and she couldn't even heal him. She began to shake again, but not from the cold, sorrow racked her whole body. Why was she so weak? Blaze would be better off without her. The fire crackled loudly and startled Rose. She opened her eyes and looked at Blaze again. She stood up quickly and dried her eyes, Blaze needed her. This was no time for self-pity. She began to pace the length of the cave. What else could she do? She had cured his poisoning with a Pecha berry from his pack. She even ground up the rest of his Oran berry's and fed it to him. But he still wouldn't wake up. She stopped next to Blaze and felt his forehead, it was cold, very cold. She moved him closer to the fire and began to pace again. It would be too risky to go for help, she couldn't leave Blaze alone in his current state. But he wouldn't last much longer if she didn't get his energy back up soon. Goodness knows he had used everything he had in that battle. The very thought of what he had done still amazed Rose. She had never seen anything like it before. The rage in his eyes was so intense it had nearly petrified her. Even from her safe spot in the lake, the force of the explosion had launched her several feet backwards. If the blast had that much force even at that distance…. Rose hated to think of what the epicenter was like. She almost felt bad for the swarm of Beedrill, almost.

She gasped suddenly as she thought of a way to heal Blaze. Thinking of the explosion had caused her to remember a move her mother had once used. When Rose was still a Ralts, she had once accidentally knocked a Pineco out of tree when she was practicing her Double Team. When it hit the ground the Pineco had exploded with a powerful move. Rose was nearly killed that day. Luckily her mother had used a move that had saved her just in time. The move used some sort of pinkish light to heal her. Maybe, just maybe, Rose could do it too. She hurried over to Blaze and knelt next to the sleeping Monfeno. She carefully rolled him over on his back and positioned herself over his chest. She held her hands over him and began to concentrate. She tried hard to remember what the move felt like, and how her mother had used it. She remembered the feeling of soft warmth that the pink light had given her. She focused on trying to push her energy to her hands. For a few minutes nothing happened, and Rose began to get disheartened. Blaze had done so much for her, and she couldn't do anything…No. No! Blaze had to be healed, now! Suddenly a pink aura enveloped Rose's hands. It was the same warm light that her mother had used. Rose became very excited, but kept her hands steady, she didn't want to lose the light. She carefully formed the energy into a ball that was about four inches in diameter. It sparkled and shined, casting a pink glow over the entire room. She directed the ball over top of Blaze's chest and slowly lowered it down onto him. As soon as it made contact with his chest the ball dissolved into him and his entire body glowed momentarily. Rose watched as the cuts and scratches all over his body closed up instantly. His breathing became long and regular, and his pained face relaxed into a slight smile. Rose sighed heavily and sat back on her heels. After she shifted Blaze back into his sleeping position she went back to the other side of the fire and sat down. As the last bits of the fire dwindled into embers Rose's head bobbed forward and she fell asleep.

Rose was awakened by the light of the sunrise filtering into the cave. She glanced over at Blaze and saw he was still sound asleep. He looked much better than before and even rolled over in his sleep, mumbling something about berries. Rose tiptoed out of the cave and walked to the edge of the water. There was a slight fog hanging over lake and drifting on to the shore. It shimmered in the sunlight along with the dew that covered the ground. Rose stretched and smiled as she scanned the picturesque scene. Her smile quickly faded as she spotted the huge charred area to her right where Blaze had fought off the Beedrill. She sniffed distastefully and decided not to look over there. She kneeled at the water to look at her reflection. She was suddenly very grateful Blaze wasn't awake. She was a wreck. Her face and hands had black soot all over them from making the fire. Her green hair was disheveled and uneven from the stress of the previous night. After a few minutes of scrubbing and washing she had cleaned off all the soot and dirt. The water was so cool and refreshing on her face that she decided to go for a swim. She waded out until the water was up to her chest. Taking a deep breath she submerged herself in the crystal clear water. It felt fantastic and after a few minutes of swimming Rose felt completely refreshed. She walked back onto shore and used a quick Double Team to dry herself off. She then sat at the bank for a minute just dunking her feet in the water. Daydreaming about what her final evolution would feel like. Rose was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the slight ripple in the water moving towards her. When Rose finally sensed the thing in the water, it was too late to react. A large Carvanha leapt out of the water, razor sharp teeth bared to strike. Rose reacted instinctively and teleported a few feet to the left. The Carvanha's jaws snapped shut at the place where Rose's neck had just been. It flopped to the ground and turned on Rose. Somehow it managed to launch itself at her again. Rose was about to teleport out of the way when a fist rushed out of nowhere and slammed into the side of the piranha Pokémon. The Carvanha flew back into the water and made a large splash. It swam under the water and didn't surface again.

"Blaze! You're awake!" Rose was overjoyed to see the Monferno standing on his own, rubbing his knuckles. She ran and nearly tackled him with a hug. She was so happy he was okay.

"Whoa! Well good morning to you too." Blaze stumbled as he tried to support the giddy Kirlia. Rose quickly released him and fussed with her hair.

"Yeah, well you know, I was w-worried about you." She replied embarrassed. "You made that huge fire and then you fainted and wouldn't wake up and I just didn't know what to do and I-." Rose's rambling was cut off by Blaze grabbing her shoulders.

"Hey hey, slow down, I'm fine." Said Blaze. Rose smiled and nodded regaining her composure. Blaze released her and the walked to the edge of the cave to sit down. After a few moments of silence Blaze looked over at Rose.

"Hey Rose." He said.

"Yes?" She replied.

"I-I didn't, uh, hurt you did I." Blaze asked. The worry in his eyes broke Rose's heart. After everything that had happened, he was still worried about her.

"No." She replied quietly. "No you didn't." The relief on Blaze's face was so heartwarming to Rose she laughed. "Actually you seemed to do more damage to yourself there, tough guy." Blaze laughed along and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess I did." The two sat quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the morning and relishing the chance to relax. After a while Blaze hopped to his feet and brushed himself off. "Well, I guess we better get moving. We gotta find more supplies, I have to make you a pack, and I think you owe me a Double Team lesson." Blaze offered his hand to Rose with a smile. She smiled back and grabbed on to his hand.

"You're on." She replied as he helped her up. The two travelers quickly cleaned up their camp and Rose pointed out the way to the center of the forest. The duo once again plunged into the forest, but this time with a newfound respect and pride in each other. They continued on their way, unaware of the devious eyes watching their every move from the dark underbrush.


	6. Chapter 6

"Come on Blaze, focus!" Yelled Rose. It had been three days since the incident at the lake, and Rose was still teaching Blaze the basics of Double Team. They were standing on the bank of a slow flowing river. The clear, blue water slid lazily along its bank and disappeared around the bend. Despite Blaze's aversion to water, he desperately wanted to run and dunk his head under its cool surface. The sun shone bright overhead, a factor Blaze would have appreciated under normal circumstances. But now he cursed its heat. Sweat rolled off the fire monkey's nose and into his mouth, filling it with a salty tang. His chest was heaving from exhaustion and his limbs were beginning to go numb.

"I can't…..feel…my arms." Panted Blaze.

"One more time! You're so close!" Blaze looked up into Rose's big, purple eyes, pleading with him to try again. How could he say no? He took a deep breath, set his feet, and focused. He thought about speed, and nothing else. Not about attacking, not about powering up, nothing but speed. Just like Rose had taught him. It was difficult, he had never used a move before that didn't attack. Blaze had never thought he would need any other type of move. But he had seen how effective Double Team could be, and he was determined to master it.

"Okay, now relax. Be loose, agile, and fluid. You're evading, not attacking. You don't need power, you need to be lithe." Iterated Rose. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked at Blaze expectantly. Taking the cue Blaze unclenched his fists and relaxed his muscles. He then began yet another attempt at the technique. He envisioned himself in two places at once and his body began to buzz. He ignored the burning in his muscles and pushed harder, the buzzing grew louder and the strain grew greater. His teeth rattled in his head from the vibrations, and his vision was blurred. This was as far as he had gotten in the move. "One more push! Go for it!" Egged on by Rose's cheers Blaze reached down deep and found one last spurt of energy. He pushed it to the surface and into the move. The buzzing was deafening in his ears and his muscles screamed in agony. His head felt like it was about to shake right off his shoulders. Blaze finally gave in and fell on to his back, panting heavily and sweating profusely. His eyes were clamped shut, trying to calm his raging headache. But, despite his aching muscles and splitting headache, Blaze was smiling. Because for a moment, even if it was only a moment, Blaze had been looking at Rose from two positions at the same time. He suddenly felt something block out the sun and he opened his eyes. Rose was standing over him with a smile a mile wide. "You did it!" She yelled excitedly. "You were in two places at once!" Rose did one of her little ballerina twirls and laughed.

"Still not….as good…as you" He panted. Blaze sat up and wiped the sweat from his face.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I've been doing that move for years, you only first tried it two days ago." Rose held out her hand to help Blaze up. "Now come on, it's lunch time." Blaze shook his head.

"Too..tired." He replied, hanging his head for emphasis. In truth Blaze could have easily walked over to the trees where their packs were hung. But he wanted Rose to do the thing. He loved the way it felt.

"Uuuuhhh, you are impossible." She chided. She knew exactly what he was doing. Still, she put her hand on top of his head and teleported them over to the trees. When they popped into the shade Blaze began to roll around on the ground giggling. A tingly, fuzzy feeling ran through his whole body. He loved it when she did the thing.

"You're such a kid." Said Rose, grabbing her purple pack off the tree branch. Blaze had managed to find a Cascoon husk the day before and was glad to see the material was holding up well. He had fashioned her a pack identical to his, just like he said he would. They had even found a small patch of berry trees to fill up on supplies. As the tingly feeling wore off, Blaze got up and grabbed his pack. The two travelers sat under the shady tree and enjoyed a relaxing lunch of nuts and berries. After a quick drink from the river, Blaze was feeling rested and ready to keep moving.

"So navigator." Said Blaze as he shouldered his pack. "Where to?" Rose stood up from the river bank and pointed upstream.

"We need to travel upriver. It should eventually lead us to a waterfall, and at the top of the falls is the center of the forest." Replied Rose. Blaze glanced to his side, he could have sworn he heard something move in the underbrush. He decided to ignore it, probably just a Starly or something.

"Well then, times a wasting." Said Blaze. Walking side by side the two Pokémon started making their way upstream. It was a pleasant day. Especially since they were walking under the shade of the trees. The river gurgled softly to their left and small streaks of light flittered through the leaves above them. Blaze was walking along, enjoying the sights and sounds of the forest. But Rose was lost in thought, oblivious to the rest of the world. After they had walked for a while, Rose's head perked up and she looked over at Blaze.

"Hey Blaze." She said softly.

"Mmm yeah?" He replied distractedly.

"What are you going to do once you evolve?" Blaze opened his mouth to reply, but faltered. He hadn't thought that far ahead.

"I, uh, I don't know." Replied Blaze. Rose nodded her head and looked down.

"Me either." Said Rose somberly. There was an uneasy silence for a few moments. Blaze broke the quiet by throwing his hands behind his head and laughing.

"Well, we can worry about that later. First we have to get there." Rose smiled and nodded her head, glad to have Blaze there to cheer her up. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. The duo made excellent progress up the river and were in high spirits by late afternoon. The sun was just setting over the trees when they decided it was time to make camp. Hanging their packs on a large tree, the two began to gather firewood. Blaze was just about to light the fire when a loud cry rang out from just upstream. Blaze and Rose turned and watched as a baby Tododile appeared around the river bend. He was hightailing it through the shallows of the water, yelling incoherently in a high pitched whine. Blaze and Rose immediately dropped what they were doing and ran down to the water. Blaze reached the tiny water Pokémon first and scooped him up in his arms. The Tododile immediately began to thrash around, trying to break Blaze's grip.

"Wet me go! Wet me go! Itsa comin! Itsa gonna eat Squirt!" The tiny Tododile was hysterical and crying profusely. Blaze was struggling to keep a hold on the wiggling baby.

"Hey! Calm down! I'm trying to help – Gaaaah!" Blaze was cut off by a set of tiny, but really sharp, teeth biting into his hand. He ran onto the shore, arm outstretched, trying to shake the little Tododile off of his hand. "OWOWOWOW! LET GO!" Despite its small size, this Tododile had a killer jaw grip. It HURT! Blaze had to restrain himself from punching the baby off his hand. If not for Rose, he may have never gotten the Tododile off. She hurried over to Blaze and grabbed his arm.

"Stop! Stop! You're only scaring him even more!" She yelled at him. Blaze hopped from one foot to another, trying to keep his arm still.

"Hey there little guy." She cooed softly. "We're not trying to hurt. Why don't you let go of my friend here and tell us what's wrong." To Blaze's great relief, the Tododile released Blaze's hand and dropped into Rose's arms. While Blaze ran back to the water to tend to his throbbing hand, Rose cradled the Tododile and wiped the tears from its eyes.

"There there, it's okay, you're safe now." Rose rocked him gently back and forth as she talked. The baby Pokémon stopped crying and relaxed in Rose's arms.

"You notta gonna hurt Squirt. Youa nice wady."

"That's right Squirt, we won't hurt you." Rose smiled. It was such a cute little thing. Blaze walked back up onto the shore, rubbing his right hand.

"I don't know what the kid was yelling about, nothings coming down the river." He stated.

"That's nice." Replied Rose distractedly. She was already walking back to their camp spot. Rose sat Squirt down on a large tree root while Blaze lit the fire. She handed Squirt an Oran berry from her pack to eat and sat down next to him. The berry was nearly too big for him to hold, but as soon as he got it close to his mouth, it vanished with a snap. Soon the fire was crackling loudly and the three Pokémon were all warming up nicely.

"Now then, uh, Squirt. Where did you come from?" Blaze asked as he ate a berry out of his pack. The tiny Tododile frowned at Blaze.

"Squirt not talka to meanie monkey." He stated. "Meanie monkey trya hurta Squirt."

"But I-." Rose cut Blaze off.

"Then talk to me Squirt. What happened?" Squirt slid off the log and held up his hands in a dramatic manor. Blaze had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

"Okay, ita happened wike dis…" Sparks from the fire rose high into the twilight sky as the two travelers were enthralled with a tale by a baby Tododile.


	7. Chapter 7

"Alright squirt, run me through it one more time." Blaze the Monferno, Rose the Kirlia, and Squirt the baby Tododile were walking along the bank of the river. The overhanging trees provided a cool shade from the burning sun. The three Pokémon were making their way to the top of the waterfall, the next landmark on their journey. It was the morning after Squirt had come running into their camp, and Blaze was still fuzzy on how the little Pokémon had gotten there. Squirt, who was leading the group, sighed and pointed his tiny arm upriver.

"Squirt tolda you aweady." He said in his funny baby dialect. "Squirt's famiwy was attacked bya biga monsta." As he spoke he mode large gestures with his arms that nearly made him lose his balance. "Squirt fella ova da edge of da watafall when da biga monsta made a biga splash." Squirt hopped into the shallows and stomped his feet, making a tiny splash. Rose giggled at the baby Tododile and egged him on.

"That's right Squirt, and now we're going to take you back to the top. So then what happened?" She asked.

"Squirt hit da wata hawd, but Squirt stwong, Squirt didn't geta hurted by da wata." The little Pokémon then bared his tiny teeth as they walked. "Squirt nota scared of da monsta. Squirt gonna bita da monster on da nose when Squirt sees it." Rose and Blaze were both shaking as they suppressed their laughter.

"S-sure Squirt, that's why you came running into camp screaming 'Hewp! Hewp! Da monsta gonna eat me'!" Said Blaze as he bit his lip, trying not to laugh.

"Hey n-now, don't taunt him Blaze. Or he'll 'bita your hand again'!" Rose fell into a fit of giggles as her eyes began to water. Blaze stopped laughing and put his hands behind his back as Squirt turned around and began to waddle towards him.

"Hey! Don't say that! He might actually listen to you! Whoa!" Blaze began to hop around as Squirt snapped his tiny, but powerful jaws at the Monferno's feet.

"You maka funa Squirt." Threatened the tiny Tododile. "Den Squirt gonna chompa you hawd." Blaze ran in circles around Rose as Squirt chased after him, jaws snapping. Rose was doubled over in laughter at the sight of the big, tough Monferno being put on the run by the baby Tododile. As she struggled to catch her breath, Rose became aware of a steady rumbling coming from upriver.

"Hey Blaze!" She said excitedly. "I think I can hear the waterfall up ahead!" Rose began to walk towards the sound and disappeared around the river bend.

"Really?" Asked Blaze as he stopped running. "Do you think it's that clo-YOW!" Blaze yelped in pain as Squirt clamped on to the middle of his tail. His need-like teeth sent a sharp pain up the length of Blaze's back.

"Harra!" Said Squirt through clenched teeth. "You no maka funa Squirt now!" Blaze made an attempt to remove the tiny Pokémon from his tail, but quickly realized that Squirt was not letting go. Not wanting to hurt the baby Pokémon (but seriously considering it) Blaze ran after Rose, Squirt in tow.

"OWOWOW! Get him off! Get him off!" Yelled Blaze as he ran around the bend. Rose, however, was oblivious to Blaze's cries of pain, and he quickly saw why. As the path suddenly opened up his eyes met an incredible sight. A waterfall, nearly three times as high as the tallest tree and wider than the river, cascaded downwards in a flurry of white water. The water churned and bubbled as it hit the surface of a large pool that fed into the river. The pool was nearly half a mile in diameter and was surrounded on all sides by dense forest, save for the side of the waterfall. On that side the lake was backed by an enormous wall of rock that the waterfall fell off of. Even from the far side of the lake, the rumble of the falls rang clearly in the ears of the Pokémon. The three travelers, even Squirt, who had released Blaze's tail when he caught sight of the waterfall, marveled at the power of the falls.

"Now that." Commented Blaze. "Is a waterfall."

"Yep." Replied Squirt happily as he pointed to the top of the falls. "Squirt's famiwy wives at da top." His face dropped and Squirt started to shake a little. "And so does da monsta." Rose bent down and picked up the little Pokémon.

"Don't worry." She said comfortingly. "We'll get you back to your family, safe and sound." Rose set Squirt on the back of her pack and turned to Blaze as they began to walk around the lake.

"What do you think this 'monster' is?" She asked.

"Dunno." Replied Blaze as he gazed at the falls. "Probably something aquatic, and if can hold its own against a family of Squirt's species…. Well, we'd best prepare ourselves." Blaze adjusted his pack as his face darkened. The two walked in silence for a while, both trying to imagine what powerful creature awaited them at the top of the falls. Pretty soon the trio arrived at the base of the waterfall. Several large Magikarp swam aimlessly around in the calmer parts of the water. They stood on the bank to the right of the downpour and gazed upward at the rock face. The wall of rock was punctuated with jagged, damp rocks that stuck out at odd angles. Blaze had to yell to be heard over the roar of the water.

"I can climb the rocks!" He shouted to Rose. "Can you teleport yourself and Squirt up?!" Rose held her hand over her eyes as she gazed up the rock face. Squirt's head poked out over her shoulder from his perch on her pack.

"I'll have to do it in short jumps, but I think I can." She yelled back. Blaze smiled and gave Rose a thumbs up. He adjusted his pack and jumped up to the first outcrop. Rose closed her eyes and focused. She began to glow slightly and suddenly popped, along with Squirt, to an outcrop a couple of feet above Blaze. They continued traveling upward in this manner for a long while. Blaze jumping from rock to rock, and Rose teleporting herself and Squirt higher and higher. The going was slow and tiring. The rocks were wet and difficult to keep traction on, Blaze nearly lost his grip several times. As they neared the top Squirt turned and looked down at the ground. He squeaked out of fear and tightened his grip on Rose's shoulders. The spray from the falls had completely soaked the three travelers by the time they neared the top of the rock face. Hating the wet conditions, Blaze was overjoyed when his hand grabbed the top of rock wall. He hoisted himself up and shook some of the water out of his fur. His muscles burned from the climb and Blaze was glad it was over. His joy quickly turned to alarm as he looked around and realized Rose hadn't made it up yet. Blaze scrambled back to the edge of the cliff and peered over, searching for Rose. She was nearly to the top, maybe six feet below the edge, standing on a rock ledge.

"Rose! Come on, you're so close!" Blazed yelled to her. Rose looked up at Blaze with exhaustion in her eyes.

"I…..can't!" She gasped. "Can't…..teleport…..any more!" Blaze sat there for a moment, trying to figure out how to get the two Pokémon off the ledge when the rock Rose was standing on suddenly lurched forward. Rose squealed in alarm and Squirts whimpering could be heard even over the falls. He quickly began to search for a foothold to climb down to her, but Rose had teleported to a completely isolated, and apparently unstable, outcropping. He looked around for something to use as a rope and lower down to her, but there were virtually no trees atop the cliff. Blaze knew that the fabric of his pack would almost certainly rip with the combined weight of Rose and Squirt. His mind was racing for an idea as the rock lurched forward another few inches. Rose pressed up against the rock wall, desperately searching for a foothold, but found no purchase in the rock. Seeing no other choice, Blaze grabbed the edge of the rock face and slowly lowered himself down as far as he could.

"Grab my tail!" He shouted over his shoulder. Rose looked up and reached as high as she could. Her arms fell about a foot short of Blaze's tail and no matter how hard she stretched, she couldn't reach the Monferno's tail. Rose was too scared to try and jump on the slippery rock, if she missed his tail she would surely fall to her death, and the extra jolt might loosen the rock even more.

"I can't reach!" She cried desperately to Blaze.

"Well I can't go any lower!" Blaze yelled back in a panic. "Are you sure you can't grab on?"

"No I can't- Oh!" Rose suddenly had an idea. "Blaze get a good grip on the ledge!" She yelled.

"Okay!" He yelled back, tightening his grip on the rock wall. "But how are you gonna-YEEOW!" Blaze suddenly felt a very familiar set of tiny teeth clamp down on the end of his tail. Rose had lifted Squirt above her head and the little Tododile snapped his jaws down right above Blaze's tail flame.

"Climb Blaze! Climb!" Cried Rose as the rock under her feet began to slide downward. She gripped Squirt's body hard and felt herself begin to lift upwards. The outcropping finally gave way and fell out of the wall, cascading to the ground in a thunderous roar. Blaze felt his grip vibrate as the rock slammed into the ground and shook the cliff. Hand over hand, teeth gritted in pain, Blaze began to pull himself and his companions to safety. The pain was agonizing and his muscles screamed in protest, but slowly Blaze crawled onto the top of the cliff. He pulled up handfuls of grass as he dug his hands into the ground and slid forward. In a few moments, though they felt like hours to Blaze, the trio found themselves safely atop the cliff. Squirt quickly dislodged himself from Blaze's tail and scrambled up to the Monferno's head. The baby Pokémon practically jumped on Blaze's neck in an attempt to give him a hug.

"Meanie monkey saved us!" Cried Squirt. "Squirt neva bita you again!" Despite his exhaustion, Blaze couldn't help but laugh. He had grown quite fond of his little water buddy.

"Oh Squirt, don't choke him." Rose gathered herself off the ground and hurried over to Blaze. She lifted Squirt off the exhausted fire monkey and kneeled next to his chest. She closed her eyes and focused, in a moment her hands were enveloped in a pink aura. She had been practicing her healing technique since that night at the cave. She formed the pink energy into a ball and lowered it onto Blaze's chest, just like last time. The ball disintegrated into his chest and his body glowed pink for a few moments.

"Aaahhh." Sighed Blaze. "Now that's what I call a useful move." He instantly felt rejuvenated and sat up stretching his arms. "How long have you been able to do that?" He asked Rose. "That was amazing." Rose blushed and pushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Since your fight with the Beedrill." She replied. "It was a move my mom used a long time ago and I figured out how to do it." Rose looked like she was going to say more when Squirt tugged on her hand, a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong Squirt?" She asked. Squirt held up a shaking hand and pointed to a pool of water behind Rose that fed into the waterfall. Its surface was bubbling and something large appeared to be moving under the water.

"B-biga monsta!" Stuttered Squirt in a panicked voice. Blaze and Rose quickly jumped to their feet and Rose pulled Squirt back from the water. Suddenly the bubbling surface exploded in a column of foam and spray. A monstrous blue Pokémon rose nearly fifteen feet out of the water and let loose a deafening roar.

"Oh." Started Rose.

"Crap." Finished Blaze.


	8. Chapter 8

Blaze remembered one time when he was still a tiny Chimchar, a Seviper attacked him while he was out playing in the woods. Thankfully his mother had heard his cries of distress and managed to reach him before the Seviper landed a serious hit. However, he still vividly remembered the poison Pokémon towering above him, and the feeling of hopeless fear that ran through his body as it slithered towards him. Now, standing at the top of the waterfall, facing a gigantic water monster known as a Gyarados, Blaze was experiencing a powerful sense of déjà vu. The blue behemoth rose out of the large lake in a column of scaled and fins. The lake was surrounded on all sides by rocky clearings and the odd tree or bush. Blaze felt his knees weaken as the Gyarados lower its head down over the three Pokémon. Rose was standing behind Blaze, with her hands on his shoulders and Squirt was behind Rose, tiny arms wrapped around her legs. The baby Tododile was shaking visibly, eyes clamped shut in fear. Rose was terrified herself, but tried to comfort Squirt anyway.

"It's o-okay, Squirt. You're going t-to be okay." Rose sounded about as confident as she looked, and she looked scared to death. Squirt grabbed onto Rose tighter and began to whimper. Water dripped off of the Gyarados's whiskers and splashed onto Blaze's head. The water dragon squinted its large, yellow eyes and frowned. He spoke in a deep, roaring voice that caused the entire group to flinch.

"WHO DARES TO DESECRATE MY FALLS?" The Gyarados's hot, muggy breath blasted into Blaze's face and sent him into a fit of coughs. Rose also sputtered from the nauseating fumes, but remained silent. When he was able to form the words, Blaze replied.

"W-we did." He stuttered. "I-it was an accident, we were just trying to get to the top, so we could get Squirt back home." The Gyarados tilted his head and looked behind Blaze and Rose. When he spotted the tiny, quivering Tododile, his eyes lit up and his face broke into a wide grin.

"HAHAHA!" He laughed, rising back up to his full height. The lower half of his body squirmed in the water, causing it to bubble and froth. "SO MY LITTLE SNACK HAS RETURNED TO ME? MARVELOUS, I WAS SO DISSAPOINTED WHEN I MISSED YOU OVER THE FALLS. HAHAHA." The Gyarados threw back his head as he laughed. As Squirt began to cry out of terror, Rose shoved Blaze to the side and stepped towards the lake, pointing a hand at the giant Pokémon. Rose was furious at the cruelty of the Gyarados. Squirt scampered behind Blaze as Rose walked forwards.

"You listen here you, you overgrown blue worm!" She shouted. The Gyarados snapped his head down and glared at Rose. Blaze watched in amazement as Rose held her ground, heck she even took a few more steps towards the lake.

"You have no reason to terrorize Squirt, or his family! You're just a big bully who-" Rose was cut off by the Gyarados swiftly lowering his head to eye level with Rose. His chin nearly touched the ground as he glared at the Kirlia. Rose was shaken, but refused to back down.

"YOU DARE INSULT ME, TINY GIRL? ME, AQUAS, THE RULER OF THE FALLS?" Roared Aquas. Rose's emerald hair billowed out behind her as she covered her face with her hands, attempting to fend off the spray from the Gyarados's mouth. "I WATCHED THESE GATOR POKEMON DEVORE MY KIND FOR YEARS BEFORE I EVOLVED." Rose slid back next to Blaze from the sheer force of the water dragon's breath. "AND NOW THAT I AM STRONG I SHALL EXACT MY REVENGE, I WILL DEVOUR THEM ALL." Aquas lifted his head up above the three travelers. "ALONG WITH ANY WHO GET IN MY WAY!" Blaze quickly scooped up Squirt as the Gyarados reared its head back. He tackled Rose to the side as just as Aquas lunged at her. Blaze felt his huge jaws snap shut just inches behind his tail. The trio rolled in a jumbled heap on the rocky ground. Blaze's pack was thrown off his body and its contents scattered as it hit the ground. Ignoring his pack, Blaze quickly got Rose to her feet and handed her Squirt.

"Both of you get out of here, now. I'll distract him. Go!" Rose's shouts of protest were lost to Blaze as he turned and ran straight at Aquas. Rose hesitated for a moment, then quickly dashed off to the nearest pile of boulders. She ran around to the back of the mound and set Squirt and her pack down.

"Don't move." She told him sternly. "I'll be right back." She was about to run back to Blaze when she saw how distraught Squirt was. His entire body was shaking and his eyes were brimming with tears. "Hey." She said softly as she knelt down next to him. "I'll be right back." She comforted. Rose then smirked slightly. "I've gotta go help the meanie monkey, he'd be lost without me." As Rose hugged the baby Tododile he stopped shaking. When she drew back from him he had a slight smile on his little face, though it was wet with tears.

"Go beata da biga monsta." He said, voice quaking. "Squirt nota goin anywhere." Rose gave Squirt a quick kiss on the head and ran around to the front of the pile of boulders. As she reached the rocky clearing, an incredible sight met her eyes. Blaze was single handedly holding off the Gyarados. Aquas was viciously fighting with Blaze, or to be more accurate, was viciously trying to land a hit on him. The frustrated Gyarados was sitting in the lake, occasionally whipping his head down and snapping at the banks of the water, only to bite air. Blaze moved about the water's edge in a masterful display of agility. The Monferno who had so often relied on brute strength to defeat his opponents, now faced one he could not overpower. Blaze was using the Double Team technique to slip around, under, and occasionally above Aquas's powerful bites. Rose felt a warm sense of pride and joy fill her chest as she watched Aquas chase after Blaze's afterimages. The large water Pokémon churned up massive amounts of spray with each strike and was becoming wilder, and more flagrant with his attacks the longer Blaze evaded him. As Rose quickly moved closer to the battle she noticed with alarm that Blaze was tiring quickly and beginning to slow down a bit. She had nearly reached the two combatants when Blaze jumped on to a nearby boulder. He was breathing heavily and trying to squint the water out of his eyes. With a roar Aquas lunged at Blaze in a wild and powerful attack. Blaze's form buzzed and for a moment, Rose was sure he was going to dodge the attack. But as he began to move, his afterimage failed and Blaze slid down the side of the boulder in a feeble dodge. His movement in that moment saved his life, and while he managed to dodge the brunt of Aquas' attack, he did not evade it entirely. The Gyarados slammed headfirst into the boulder with a force that Rose wouldn't have believed if she hadn't seen. The ground shook, and the sturdy rock shattered like glass, flying outwards at a rapid speed, with Blaze along with it. Rose shielded her face as bits of rock showered over her. Blaze flew through the air and landed in a heap a few feet away, next to his pack. Aquas collapsed and laid still with half of his body out of the water. Rose quickly ran over to Blaze, her worry growing to terror as she eyed his limp form. She slid on her knees next Blaze and rolled him over in her arms. His eyelids fluttered, but he stayed conscious as she cradled his head. His mouth broke into a half grin as he looked up at Rose as if to say 'I did it'. Rose smiled back as her eyes began to water. She laid his head down on his white pack as she prepared to heal him. Suddenly there was a rumbling to her left, and before she could heal Blaze, Aquas lifted his head up from the shattered remains of the boulder. He swung back and forth as he tried to regain his sense of direction. Rose managed to get just a tiny bit of pink aura onto Blaze before Aquas focused in on the duo. He shook his head and glared at them in hatred. Without saying a word Aquas reared back his head and opened his mouth. A red ball of energy formed in between his teeth and grew to fill his whole mouth. Rose had heard stories of the move Hyper Beam, and had always imagined it to be a terrifying thing to face. And now that she stood in the direct path of one, her fears were more than confirmed. She could feel the energy pulsing from Aquas even as he formed the attack. Rose looked down at Blaze as his eyes rolled weakly and made a decision. She stood and slid in front of her injured friend, he had protected her before, and now she was determined to repay the favor. Even if it meant she had to die alongside him. A roar erupted from Aquas as he threw his head forward and let loose the Hyper Beam. As the crimson energy flew at Rose in a column of cracking power, she focused all her energy into protecting Blaze. Rose felt a power from deep inside her surge through her body, filling her with energy. In that split-second, she remembered how her mother used to tell her that all of their species had a unique gift for protecting, and that they were their most powerful when defending others. As the beam flew towards her Rose levitated into the air and threw out her hands. Her eyes glowed purple and her emerald hair floated around her as if she were underwater.

"Protect" She said, in a voice much more powerful than her own. In the instant before the red beam struck, a green orb materialized around herself and Blaze. The Hyper Beam encased the entire orb as it collided with the green force field, casting a sickly red glow on the inside. Rose felt her energy begin to drain as the powerful attack wore away at her field. A sound like rushing water filled her ears and her arms began to shake, but still she held on as Aquas poured all of his energy into the attack. It was then that Blaze managed to prop himself up on his elbow to see what had happened. He had been sure they were done for when he saw Aquas form the Hyper Beam. But as he gazed at his surroundings he saw that he had sorely underestimated Rose. She floated in front of him, enwrapped in a purple glow, like some sort of green haired angel. The power it would take to completely withstand a Hyper Beam from a full grown Gyarados was staggering to Blaze. And yet, here was Rose, blocking Aquas's attack with ease. Rose was too focused on maintaining the Protect to notice Blaze staring at her in awe. The green barrier could only take so much, and Rose began to worry it would fail. But just when she felt she was about to give out, the beam stopped. Rose quickly dropped the force field, but held on to the energy flowing though her, she still had more Pokémon to protect. She began to move towards the Gyarados. Aquas bent his head down as he released the beam, he was completely out of energy. As Rose floated over to Aquas, Blaze stumbled to his feet and staggered after her. Aquas was ready to pass out as his head bobbed up and down with each breath. As he looked up he was alarmed to see the little Kirlia meeting his gaze at eye level. She floated nearly ten feet in the air as she glared at him with her purple, glowing eyes. The large Gyarados suddenly felt a sharp pang of fear in his gut, something that hadn't happened to him since he evolved. Before he could drop back into the water and flee, however, he felt a force grab his midsection and begin to lift. As the Kirlia lifted up her arms Aquas rose out of the water until he was completely suspended in the air. Rose then floated over to the edge of the waterfall and held the Gyarados out over the side. Aquas began to squirm weakly as he realized with terror what she planned to do. Blaze managed to stumble to a few feet towards Rose before he fell to his knees in exhaustion. Rose felt her power begin to recede rapidly and quickly moved Aquas far enough over the edge that he couldn't reach the side of the roaring falls.

""This is for Squirt, and his family." She said, releasing her grip on Aquas. The Gyarados flailed wildly as he fell over the side of the cliff. He disappeared into the fog as he fell into the jagged, misty rocks on the lake surface of the lake below. As he fell, Rose felt a sharp and sudden pain in her left shoulder. She quickly floated back down to the rocky terrain and landed next to Blaze. He eyes feturned to normal and her hair fell back into place as she dropped to the ground shakily. The Monferno gasped in alarm as he caught sight of her arm. Following his gaze, Rose looked down at her left shoulder as her energy began to drain rapidly. A large, blues scale shimmered as it stuck out of her arm at an odd angle. It contrasted deeply with the crimson blood that flowed around it as pain shot up her shoulder. Rose fell to her knees, the edges of her vision fading to black. Blaze managed to catch her before she fell over and sat back on his haunches, cradling her head. Rose saw his lips move, but heard no words as her ears filled with a ringing sound and she began to fade from consciousness. The last thing she saw was Blaze looking over his shoulder and waving at something behind him. Rose felt a warm rush go through her body, despite her wounded arm, and grinned. He was safe. She then fainted in Blaze's arms, still smiling.


	9. Chapter 9

Blaze paced back and forth as he wrung his hands around the strap of his pack in anticipation. He was on the rocky bank of the crystal blue lake where he and Rose had just defeated Aquas. Well, where Rose had defeated Aquas, while Blaze had laid hopelessly to the side. Why couldn't he be stronger? If he had been fully evolved, maybe he could have protected her. Maybe he could have fought off Aquas. The image of Rose suspended in midair, glowing with power and completely blocking the Gyarados's Hyper Beam flashed through his mind. Blaze snorted and shook his head. Who was he kidding? She didn't need protecting. Heck, she didn't even need him. She was the one who actually knew where they were going, and now she had proven she could take care of herself just fine without Blaze. He sighed, Blaze wouldn't be surprised if she decided to travel without him. The Monferno stopped pacing and gazed a couple of yards down the bank where Rose was laying. Squirt, and several of his family members, were circled around the Kirlia as they took orders from a fully evolved Feraligatr. Blaze could see the pained look on her face as Rose's head rolled back and forth in her sleep. The Feraligatr was Squirt's mother, who had been overjoyed when her little baby came waddling back into their families camp. It had taken Squirt several minutes to explain to his hysterical mother what was happening near the waterfall. By the time she had calmed down enough to listen to her little baby, Rose had already disposed of Aquas and passed out. Squirt, his mother, and a couple other of his family members now where working fervently to heal Rose. Blaze had never felt so helpless before. He didn't know any healing moves like Rose, and his knowledge of first aid was very slim. He couldn't do anything but pace around and hope for the best. He ran a hand over the circular scar on his right shoulder. Hmph, maybe a trainer would wander by and he could steal one of those healing bottles. Seems about all he was good for. Blaze was snapped out of his depressing thoughts by a yelp of pain that came from the center of the circle. His head snapped up as Squirt's mother lifted her head, a streak of crimson ran down the side of her large jaw. He quickly bounded over to the circle as his stomach churned with fear. If they had hurt her then so help him he was going to-…Blaze stopped as he reached the circle and Rose came into full view. Her entire left arm was caked with dark, red blood and she whimpered in her sleep as her face twisted in pain. A large gash across her left shoulder was bleeding heavily.

"What did you-" Blaze was cut off as Squirt's mother spat out a large, blue scale into her hand. She absentmindedly handed it to Blaze and barked out more orders, all while never taking her eyes off of Rose. Blaze hurriedly stuffed the scale in his pack and moved closer to Rose.

"Quickly now child, the paste." She said. Blaze watched as a young Crocknaw walked up with a large, slim leaf with a slimy green paste on it. He deftly wrapped the leaf tightly around Rose's arm and used a Water Gun to gently wash off the remaining blood. Rose inhaled sharply and tensed up as he did this. But after a moment her shoulders relaxed and her breathing became steady. Squirts mother ordered a few of the other Crocknaw to carry Rose back to camp, carefully. The blue gator Pokémon carefully lifted Rose and placed her on a small bed made of sticks and grass. As they began to walk around the bend in the bank, Blaze started after them. He was stopped, however, by a large blue clawed hand that was laid on his shoulder. Blaze stopped and looked at Squirts mother, then glanced back as the band of Crocknaw disappeared around a large boulder.

"She will be fine, given time." Said Squirts mother. "She has a strong spirit, she just needs rest." Blaze was about to insist that he go with her when Squirt's head popped up over his mother's shoulder.

"Donta worry meanie monkey." He said cheerfully. "Momma fixa miss Rosa up reala good. You willa see." Blaze couldn't help but smile at the wide mouthed grin of the baby Tododile. Squirts mother patted Squirt fondly on the head and then plucked him off her shoulder.

"Go catch up to your siblings, Squirt. I'm sure they'll be needin' your expertise." She said as she set Squirt on the ground. Squirt smiled real big and then dashed off around the boulder towards camp.

"Waita for Squirt!" He called as he rounded the bend. "Squirt gonna hewpa missa Rose!" Despite his worried mood, Blaze couldn't help but chuckle at the energetic little Pokémon. He was going to miss Squirt, bites and all.

"I had just wanted to thank you, for bringing Squirt back to us." Said Squirt's mother, turning to Blaze. "He's the youngest of our family, and were devastated when he disappeared." She wiped her eyes as they began to water, and smiled at Blaze. "We were certain that Aquas had gotten him, we had given up hope."

"It was nothing, miss..."

"Just call me momma child, everyone around here does." She said as she wiped her eyes again.

"Well it was nothing, uh… Momma, we ran into Squirt on our way here, or, he ran into us, really. It was the right thing to do, bringing him back and all. It was no trouble, really." Momma smiled and nodded her head.

"Thank you." She said as she and Blaze began to walk towards the camp. "That Gyarados had been tormenting my family all week, and there was nothing I could do about it." Momma's face became angry and her fangs poked out under her lips. "He had already attacked several other camps before ours. He has killed many Pokémon who hunt in these waters." Blaze thought about what Aquas had said earlier, that he had to watch his family get eaten by other Pokémon before he evolved. But, as he looked up at Momma and her large, very sharp, fangs….he decided to keep it to himself. Suddenly Momma's face dropped and she sighed, she seemed very tired. "It is not the first time we have had to deal with Gyarados. But they had always attacked before in the name of feeding themselves. This one, he was killing without consuming. Just, slaughtering other Pokémon."

"He yelled something about revenge while we fought him." Offered Blaze. "Something about his family being eaten." Momma frowned and shook her head.

"It is true we hunt and eat the Magikarp in this lake and the one below the falls, but we only kill that which we need. Then, on occasion, a Magikarp may evolve and need to feed itself. While we will do the best that we can to defend ourselves, that is the circle of life." Blaze thought about what Momma said as they rounded the bend. Aquas's anger at the gators was understandable, but if the gators did not hunt, they would die. Blaze decided that if what Momma had said about Aquas killing indiscriminately were true, then it was better if he had been eliminated. Blaze thought that the killing of any Pokémon was wrong, but if you had to do it to survive, he could understand it. Blaze adjusted the strap on his pack as he and Momma continued their walk.

As Rose slowly felt herself begin to regain consciousness she was aware of two things. First, the salty smell emanating from her left arm. Second, the fact that she could not feel her left arm. Rose rolled her head to the side and saw that her right shoulder was wrapped in a green leaf, and that the smell was coming from underneath it. Rose didn't have the energy to mess with the wrapping, so she left it there. As she groggily looked around she saw that it was the middle of the night, and that confused her. Not because of the fact that she had passed out, she remembered what had happened very clearly. But because there was a light drizzle coming down from the dark sky, yet she was completely dry and actually very warm. She looked up and saw that she was underneath a lean-to made out of sticks and large leaves. It was just large enough to fit one Pokémon about her size. That explained the dryness, but what about the-. Rose nearly started to cry as she looked out the entrance of the small shelter. Blaze was curled up right outside, in the rain, fast asleep. He was facing towards Rose, with his arms folded underneath his head. His tail was laid in a small fire pit along with a pile of ashes, and a few burning sticks, creating a small campfire. The fire had obviously been much bigger earlier and now Blaze was helping to sustain with the end of his tail. Rose was touched by Blaze's actions, she knew how much he hated the rain, and yet, here he was, doing everything he could to keep her warm. She was about to try and move towards Blaze when she heard two voices begin to approach. She laid very still and pretended to still be asleep, hoping the voices belonged to friendly Pokémon. As she laid there, two Crocknaw appeared out of the gloom as they walked by the lean-to. They appeared to be patrolling the area and were chatting as they walked. One nudged the other and pointed at Blaze.

"Hey, has he been there all night?" Asked the first Crocknaw.

"He has." Replied the other. "Hasn't left that Kirlia's side since he and Momma got back to camp. He's refused to eat or drink until she wakes up. He's kept that fire goin' for at least for at least seven or eight hours now, and it's been raining for the last two!" The first Crocknaw shook his head and snorted as they kept walking.

"Suppose he just passed out from exhaustion, I know I would have." Rose looked over at Blaze's sleeping form with wonder in her eyes. He had done all that, for her? Despite her tiredness, Rose lifted her head and used her physic power to gently lift Blaze. She scooted as far back into the lean-to as she could while Blaze hovered in his sleeping position an inch off the ground. Rose then carefully moved Blaze underneath the shelter with her and laid him down. She left his tail sticking in the edge of the fire for fear of igniting the shelter. It was a tight squeeze, but they both fit underneath the lean-to with a little room to spare. Rose leaned over and kissed the fire monkey on his wet forehead before laying back down next to him. Sleep soon found her again and Rose had warm dreams as the cold rain drizzled down outside.


	10. Chapter 10

Blaze experienced a strong sense of déjà vu the next morning, as he laid still half asleep on the damp, soft grass, soaked with the early morning dew. His mind wandered back to the night he pulled the Beedrill's barb from his shoulder. Blaze rolled over uneasily as the fearful memories of that night crept into his mind. Everything was the same, the smell of the forest mist, the water running down his spine, the…..searing pain in his shoulder?

Blaze sat bolt upright as he clamped a hand on his right arm, breathing in quick, rapid breaths of panic. He moved his hand up and down his arm, running over the circular scar several times as he did. His hand found no green barb, no crimson blood matted into his fur; there was no new injury.

As Blaze's anxiety faded, he began to look around for what had caused the pain; it had felt too real to be his imagination. Glancing to his right, Blaze saw that he had rolled off of the bed Rose had been sleeping on and pressed his shoulder into a sharp rock right outside of the lean-to.

Blaze stared at the rock for several seconds, telling himself over and over again that it had just been a bad dream. The memory had been so vivid, that he didn't notice Rose was missing until he stood up and looked back at the small shelter. Adjusting his pack, Blaze turned away from the shelter and began to look around for the Kirlia.

A few rays of morning sunlight were just beginning to break through the tall trees that surrounded the lake and waterfall. A thin mist rolled off the lake and permeated the air, causing the gator's camp to sparkle and gleam. Several of the blue water Pokémon meandered around the various mud huts and wooden shelters, going about their morning processes. But Rose was not anywhere to be seen.

Still rubbing his shoulder, Blaze walked out into the crowd and asked one of the younger Crocknaw if they had seen Rose. The Crocknaw nodded and directed Blaze down to the lake's shore. Blaze thanked the Pokémon and walked quickly to the bank of the shimmering blue lake. Rounding the one of the mud huts, Blaze heard Rose before he saw her.

"Now Squirt, don't go out too far; your mother only agreed to let me take you down, here because you promised to be careful."

"Imma okay, missa Rose. Watcha dis!"

As the edge of the lake came into view, Blaze breathed a small sigh of relief. Rose was seated on the bank with her purple pack slung over her shoulder, laughing as she watched Squirt splash and jump around in the shallows. She looked a thousand times better than the day before, and seemed to have regained the majority of her energy.

Blaze felt as though the weight of a mountain was suddenly lifted from his shoulders. As he walked down closer to Rose, Blaze noticed that the green leaf bandage that Momma had wrapped on her cut was gone, replaced with a bit of the Silcoon silk that Blaze had showed her how to use. He couldn't help but feel a pinch of pride in his chest, seeing that.

Squirt noticed Blaze before Rose, and when he was just a few feet away from the bank, rushed out of the water to greet him. It surprised Blaze how quickly the plump little baby could move in the water, as opposed to his usual waddling walk on land.

"Meanie Monkey! Youa okay!" yelled Squirt as he splashed out of the shallows and jumped into Blaze's arms.

Blaze stumbled and fell back as he caught the energetic Tododile. Rose giggled as Blaze wrestled to keep the baby Tododile from choking him in a hug.

"Yeah; gah! I'm okay Squirt; oof! Just a bump on the head."

Finally, Blaze managed to dislodge Squirt from his chest and set him on the ground. The little pokemon was practically bouncing with joy as Rose walked over to the two of them.

"I knewa it! I knewa you two could beata da bigga monsta. And now you bofa okay!"

"That's right Squirt," said Rose, as Blaze stood up and dusted himself off, "You don't have to worry about that 'bigga monsta' anymore."

Squirt puffed out his tiny chest and made a face that he apparently thought was very intimidating, but really just made Rose and Blaze have to hold back laughter.

"Squirt wasn't scawed ofa da bigga monsta," Blaze had to bite his lip to maintain his composure, "Bigga monsta was scawed of Squirt."

Rose seemed to be having just as difficult time controlling herself as Blaze, but she somehow managed to talk without her voice wavering too much, "Well then, little monster hunter, why don't we go get some breakfast."

At the mention of food, Blaze's stomach growled loudly enough for everybody to hear.

"All of us," giggled Rose, as she took Squirt's hand and looked at Blaze.

The sun was just beginning to poke over the top of the trees, as the trio of Pokémon made their way to the middle of camp, where Momma's hut was. Squirt, who was extra energetic that morning, ran ahead of them to find his mom.

"So, uhh, how's your arm?" asked Blaze, a little scared about the answer.

Rose, however, smiled brightly and began to undo the bandage on her arm, "It's looking great, a little sore, but most of the pain is gone. Momma said it will be fully healed in a day or two."

As the last piece of bandage came away, Blaze saw that her arm had a large cut that ran from the bottom of her shoulder to the middle of her bicep. It was deep, definitely going to leave a scar, but whatever Momma had put on it the day before had worked wonders. The cut was nearly completely closed up, and wasn't bleeding in the slightest. Rose began to wrap it back up as they continued to walk.

"Are you... you know; feeling alright?" the worry in Blaze's voice touched Rose.

"Yes, I'm feeling fine; just a little tired," she replied, pushing her emerald hair out of her eyes, "I don't remember much of what happened after Aquas went over the falls."

"That's probably for the better," said Blaze, thinking about all the blood that came with Momma removing Aquas's scale from Rose's arm.

"But Momma did tell me about a certain Monferno," Rose continued, glancing mischievously at Blaze, "who wouldn't leave my side all night through the rain."

Despite the coolness of the morning, Blaze felt his ears burning. He looked down and kicked a rock as they walked, his cheeks reddening.

"Yeah, well... you know; I was worried, and…." Blaze trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Smiling, Rose leaned over and pecked Blaze on the check with a kiss.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Y-you're welcome," Mumbled Blaze, as his face turned an alarming shade of crimson.

Blaze had no idea what to say next, but thankfully, Momma saved him.

"Blaze child, Rose honey, come get some breakfast!" she called from a clearing in the middle of camp.

"Coming!" replied Rose as she walked toward Momma.

When Blaze had regained his composure, he hurried after Rose. Momma was standing with Squirt perched on her shoulder, in front of a line of Crocknaw and Tododile with bowls in their hands. She herself held an extremely large bowl, full of nuts and fruit that she ladled out to each passing Pokémon as they filed down the line.

After they received a ladling of food from Momma, the Pokémon continued down in front of the fire, where a monstrous Feraligatr stood. He was a good bit taller than Momma and much bulkier as well. He was obviously a seasoned fighter, as his tough hide was covered with scars and chip marks from battles. The most alarming and prevalent of these by far, was the large scar than ran from the top of his head, down over his eye, and onto his jaw. The eye that the scar ran over was greyed with blindness, most likely a result of the injury that gave him the impressive scar.

A large fang hooked out of his lip as he grinned at the younger Pokémon, and ripped pieces of meat from the Magikarp that were impaled on stakes behind him, being cooked over the fire. He placed the pieces of meat atop the mound of berries and nuts, in each Pokémon's bowl as they shuffled along.

Blaze's stomach turned as he looked at the magikarp; he didn't like the idea of killing for food. It's just... there were so many other things to eat; why kill something else? Blaze and Rose shared a knowing look, as they grabbed a bowl out of a pile by Momma and got in line; skip the meat. When they reached Momma, she gave them each a large helping of food and smiled.

"There ya go darling; get your fill."

"Thank you," said Rose, obviously distracted by the large, meat ripping Feraligatr a few feet away.

Momma noticed her and Blaze's distraction and laughed, "That's Fang, honey; my husband. Don't let his looks fool you, he's a real softie under all those scars and muscles."

"Are these all your children?" asked Blaze, indicating the long line of Pokémon getting food.

Momma laughed again, and poked Squirt in the belly with her claw, "No no, Squirt's our only one. Me and Fang are just in charge of distributing food. The other adults are out hunting, or gathering food for later."

Blaze and Rose thanked Momma again, and walked over to their lean-to, skipping the meat. As Blaze began to eat, he looked around and saw that most of the younger Pokémon had already finished; though they hadn't gotten their food but a minute or two before him.

As he watched in fascination, he saw one of the Crocknaw, who had gotten his food last, snap down at his bowl twice in rapid succession. His bowl, which had been completely full not a second ago, was now empty; save for one berry, which he neatly picked out of the bowl and wolfed down. Blaze then realized that the ridges and indentions alongside his bowl were, in fact, teeth marks from where some Tododile or Crocknaw had accidentally clamped down in a misjudged bite.

As he ate, Blaze glanced over at Rose and looked at her bandage. He suddenly remembered he had the scale in his bag, and quickly dug it out. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like Rose should have it; like a trophy, or something. The large blue scale shimmered in his hand like some kind of shiny, flat spearhead. He nudged Rose, and held it out in front of her. Rose's eyes got wide at the sight of the scale and she quickly swallowed the bite of berry in her mouth.

"Where did you get that?" she asked.

"Momma gave it to me after she took it out of your arm," replied Blaze, "I thought you might want it for, uhh... I don't know."

It suddenly occurred to Blaze, that the scale might not be the best thing to just suddenly thrust at Rose. He retracted it sheepishly and rubbed his head.

"I'll, uh, just get rid of it."

"No wait!" said Rose, as Blaze began to get up, "I do want it, thank you."

Rose took the large scale from Blaze, and dropped it in her bag, "It'll make a good story one day."

After breakfast, Rose and Blaze talked for a while, and decided it would be best to keep moving as soon as possible. They both appreciated the hospitality of the gator Pokémon, but their carnivorous habits were a bit much for them to stand. Blaze didn't know if he could stand to see another roasted Pokémon.

Plus, the longer they stayed, the harder it would be to say goodbye to Squirt. They had both grown very fond of the little Tododile, and dreaded having to leave him. But, before they knew it, the sun was high in the sky, and the other Feraligator were beginning to bring back their kills from hunting; it was time to go. As they packed their things, and thanked Momma one more time, the only thing holding them back was a bawling Squirt.

"Bwaaaah! But *sob* whya you gotta go? sputtered the teary eyed baby.

Rose and Blaze both knelt down and hugged Squirt tightly; Rose teared up a bit herself.

"We'll come back to visit you, Squirt," she comforted, "we promise."

"Yeah, it's a promise," added Blaze.

Squirt calmed down a bit after that, and they released the little Tododile. Squirt called after the duo, as they walked down the path that led into the forest.

"Be careful!" he yelled, "Not everwy body as nice as we are."

Blaze and Rose waved back at Squirt and Momma, and headed into the forest; towards their next destination.


	11. Chapter 11

"So," said Blaze, as he and Rose walked down a lightly worn path.

Mud and small green plants lined either side of the path and a hot, muggy air rose up off of them. The sun was high in the sky, and beams of light filtered down through the tree limbs hanging overhead. The trees atop the cliff were smaller, and more rugged than the ones below, but still provided excellent shade.

"What's our next landmark?" Blaze asked.

Rose pushed her shining emerald hair out of her eyes and pointed ahead. The path wound through the rocky marsh of a forest and seemed to go on forever.

"At the end of this path," replied Rose, "there's a cave; my mother called it the 'Cave of Discovery'. We'll go in, and make our way to the end."

Blaze crinkled his nose, and put his hand behind his head as they walked.

"Then what?" he asked.

Rose opened her mouth to reply, but faltered. Blaze looked at her questioningly; finally, Rose sighed.

"I don't know; my mother just said that I'd find what I was looking for," Rose looked at Blaze sheepishly, "Sorry."

Blaze jumped up and began to swing on some of the low hanging branches.

"Eh, don't worry about it; at least your parents told you where to go," Blaze laughed as he swung, "Hey, if I hadn't ran into you, I'd probably still be running circles around the bottom part of the forest."

"You mean, if you hadn't started following me?" chided Rose.

Blaze jumped ahead and wrapped his tail around a branch; he then swung upside down, and brought his face level with Rose's.

"We've been through this," he said, crossing his arms; a bit of red playing across his cheeks, "I was not following you; I was…"

"Just going in the same direction as I was, but in the trees behind me?" offered Rose.

Blaze opened his mouth to protest but was cut short as Rose walked around him and unhooked his tail from the branch using her psychic power. The startled Monferno fell quickly, and smacked his head on the hard packed dirt. A small bump quickly arose on his head where he had landed on it.

"Oooow" complained Blaze as he got back up to his feet.

Rose glanced back over her shoulder, and giggled as Blaze rubbed his head; then she kept walking. Blaze stood there for moment, then grinned mischievously as he looked up ahead of Rose.

Moving quickly, Blaze jumped up into the nearest tree and climbed a couple of branches higher. He then moved into the tree directly above Rose, which happened to be an apple tree, and picked one of the large red fruit.

Now, Blaze didn't intend to hit Rose with the apple; no, that might actually hurt her. But he did intend to get payback. He followed above her closely for a couple of yards until she was in just the right position. Then, taking careful aim with the apple, Blaze heaved the fruit at the ground directly to the right of Rose.

Now, it had been a spot on throw; but what made it even better was the fact that at that exact moment, Rose had turned to look back at Blaze. As a result, when the large apple slammed into the pool of mud next to the path, Rose's entire front became coated in mud.

Blaze had to bite the back of his hand to keep from bursting out in laughter; that had worked perfectly. Rose stood there for a moment, eyes closed and mouth hanging open in shock as the mud dripped from her face. Slowly, Rose lifted her hands to her eyes and wiped the mud off with a flick.

"Blaze! You insufferable monkey!" She shrieked.

Blaze burst out laughing, and waved down at Rose.

"H-hey, Rose," He yelled as he dropped down to the lower branches, "Be careful where you step; I saw some mud around the path earlier."

Blaze was rolling on his back in laughter; the look of indignity on Rose's face was just too much. That was probably why he didn't see Rose scoop up a huge pile of mud with her powers and fling it at him.

The mud ball smacked him squarely on the side and knocked him out of the tree, right into a large mud puddle. Now it was Rose's turn to laugh as she doubled over at the sight of the confused, mud-covered monkey. As Blaze lifted himself out of the mud, he scooped up two large handfuls and stepped towards Rose.

"Oh, now you've done it," he threatened.

Seeing Blaze armed, Rose stopped laughing and quickly gathered more mud herself. She raised the mud ball above her head with one arm, and put the other out towards Blaze.

"Cut it out Blaze, that's enough," She said cautiously as she stepped backwards.

Blaze grinned and raised one arm backwards, ready to throw.

"Uh uh," he replied, "You're still not covered."

Blaze took another step towards her.

"Blaze!" She cried, "My pack..."

"Is mud-proof; just like mine," he interrupted.

Suddenly Blaze slung the mud in his right hand at Rose. The Kirlia just managed to Teleport out of the way, and returned fire. Blaze quickly dodged, and sent a mud ball flying that smacked Rose on the shoulder.

"Why, you little..."

They continued in this manner for several minutes, as they chased each other down the path. Both trying to coat the other with as much mud as possible, while keeping themselves dry. Their playful shouts rang through the forest as they ran, mud in hand, down the path.

Soon, however, due to each other's persistence, both Pokémon were covered from head to toe in mud. Chest heaving, Blaze stopped running and fell on his back.

"Truce?" he gasped as Rose stumbled over to him.

She nodded, also out of breath, and began to comb some of the mud out of her hair. After they caught their breath, Blaze stood up and nodded over to the side of the path.

"Come on; I saw a little river while I was up in the trees. We can wash off there."

Rose followed Blaze for a little ways into the forest and, sure enough, the bank of a small gurgling river came into view. As they got closer, Rose saw that the bank of the river was a foot or two above the water level, and an idea popped into her head. Right when they reached the edge of the bank, Rose leaned forward and pointed down to the water.

"Oh!" she exclaimed with false surprise, "Look at that!"

Blaze reacted exactly as she thought he would. Curious, the Monferno stepped up beside her and looked down to where she was pointing.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied, trying hard not to smile, "It's right under the water; look, there it is."

As Blaze leaned closer to the water, peering hard to see whatever Rose was pointing to, Rose slowly lifted her left arm behind him. Suddenly Blaze felt a hand push him hard on the back of the neck, and he went flailing headfirst into the water.

As he sank to the bottom of the river, his tail stuck out of the water like a submarines telescope. Rose was laughing so hard, she didn't notice the tail move back towards the bank. By the time Blaze had settled underneath her, it was too late to react. Blaze shot up out of the water and grabbed Rose's arms.

"Hey, wai..." Rose's cry of protest was cut off, as Blaze pulled her into the water with him.

Soon the duo were engaged in another war, but with water this time. They splashed and pushed each other around in the water, until every trace of mud had been washed down the river.

Climbing out of the water, Blazed got down on all fours and shook himself like a dog. His naturally water-repellent fur was dry within a few seconds. As he combed his fur into place, Rose teleported herself out of the water, and used her power to pull the water off herself. She then ran her hands through her hair to straighten it.

As Blaze pulled off his pack, and shook the water droplets off of it, Rose double-checked to make sure she had gotten all the mud off. She then pulled her own pack around, and brushed off the water that had stuck to the outside of the tough, purple silk. She opened it up, and was pleasantly surprised to see that its contents were completely dry.

"Slicoon and Cascoon silk," said Blaze, noticing the surprise on Rose's face, "Waterproof, mud proof, and darn near impossible to tear."

As Rose slung the pack back over her shoulder, a voice rang out from behind them.

"Hmm, that's pretty smart for a Monferno," Blaze and Rose both turned in surprise, and looked back to the tree line. A Sneasel stepped out of the shadows of one of the trees, and sauntered into the bank clearing.

"Who are you?" Asked Blaze, shouldering his pack. The Sneasel grinned as she strutted towards Blaze.

"My name's Ebony, sweetie; but you can call me Ebbs, all my friends do."

Blaze gulped, as Ebbs flicked her tail feathers at his nose while she walked past him. Blaze felt his cheeks burn as he stumbled to reply.

"O-okay, uh... Ebbs."

Rose instantly decided she was not a fan of Ebony the Sneasel.

"So, where did you came from, Ebony?" asked Rose.

Ebony raised an eyebrow, as she looked Rose up and down. She then gave Rose a smile that made her blood boil; like she had Rose completely figured out.

"I was in the area, darling, and I heard laughter and fun," Ebbs glanced back over her shoulder and winked at Blaze, "And I absolutely love fun."

Blaze rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and looked to the side. Rose marched over to Blaze and began to pull him back towards the path by his pack.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, Ebony, but we have to get going."

As Blaze turned and began to walk behind Rose, Ebbs skipped over next to him and began to walk beside him.

"So what's your name, sweetie?" asked Ebbs.

"I-I'm Blaze, and this is..."

"Mmm, Blaze; such a strong name," interrupted Ebbs, as she wrapped a claw around Blaze's arm, "And I bet you have the power to back it up."

She cooed; Rose began to grumble under her breath, as they walked back onto the path. The sun was beginning to set, and they would have to make camp soon. Maybe she could get rid of Ebony then.

"So, where are you headed?" asked Ebbs.

"We're... uh, headed to find the power to evolve," answered Blaze, as he unhooked Ebbs' claw from his arm.

"Really?" asked Ebbs incredulously, "So am I!"

"Figures," mumbled Rose.

"What was that, darling?"

"I said that tree looks disfigured," replied Rose without missing a beat.

As Blaze looked up at the tree Rose pointed to, he noticed the sun dipping behind the horizon.

"Hey, Rose, I think it's about time to make camp," he suggested.

Rose quickly stopped, and turned back to Blaze; smiling sweetly.

"You know, I think you're right," She replied, "Ebony, isn't it time you got back home?"

The feather behind Ebbs' left ear drooped down, and her eyes got really wide as she looked to Blaze.

"Oh, I suppose it is," she sighed, as she tilted her head to the side, "But it's such a long ways away, and these woods can be so dangerous at night."

Blaze, completely oblivious to Rose's wishes, offered to let Ebbs stay the night with them.

"Really?" She asked, instantly perking up, "That would be marvelous!"

"Yeah, great," muttered Rose, as she blew a tuft of hair out of her eyes.

Soon, Blaze had a small fire going, and had fashioned three makeshift beds out of grass and leaves. After a small meal of berries, nuts, and some of the apples from earlier, the three Pokémon bedded down for the night. And even though they were all lined up next to each other by the fire, it annoyed Rose how close Ebbs had placed her mattress to Blaze's. Rose had a difficult time falling asleep that night.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning brought a bright and shiny day of traveling for the, now 'trio' of Pokémon questing for the secret to evolution. Blaze the Monferno, Rose the Kirlia, and the newly acquainted Ebony the Sneasel, made their way cheerily down the muddy path towards their next waypoint; the Cave of Discovery. That is, Blaze and Ebony made their way cheerily, chatting and laughing as Rose followed close behind, glowering at Ebony. They had been making their way down the path for most of the morning in this manner, with Blaze and Ebony in the lead and Rose trailing sourly behind.

The Sneasel had been shamelessly throwing herself at Blaze, ever since she had arrived the day before. And Blaze, like the idiot he was, was obliviously returning the attention. Not that Rose was jealous; no, of course not! But, there was something off about Ebony; Rose couldn't quite explain it, but she knew something was up with that Sneasel.

Rose was stirred out of her thoughts, as the muddy trail began to give way to solid rock. The two chatterboxes in the front went silent as they rounded the bend into a clearing. The gnarled, stout trees of the boggy forest gave way to hard packed rock and dirt, and the sun shined even brighter on the trio as they walked into the clearing.

The clearing was backed by an enormous mountain that seemed to scrape the sky. At the base of the mountain was a large cave entrance. The inside of the cave was completely blacked out, and Blaze got the feeling that it would be incredibly dark in there. Walking forward, Blaze held his hand up above his eyes and peered at the peak of the mountain.

"Wheeeeeewww," He whistled, "That is some mountain."

Ebony walked up beside him and copied his stance, "That, honey, is Mt. Coronet; the tallest peak in Sinnoh."

Forgetting her annoyance with Ebony for the moment, Rose joined the other two in gazing at the mountain. Coronet was truly a sight to see, towering over the landscape like some kind of giant rocky behemoth.

"Whatcha think's on the top?" Wondered Blaze aloud.

Rose and Ebony both shook their heads.

"Dunno," Replied Rose, lowering her gaze to the cave, "But our goal is much lower than that."

The three Pokémon stared at the cave for a moment; its dark, ominous opening seemed to beckon to them.

"Well," Said Blaze, adjusting his pack, "Shall we?"

The fire monkey strode towards the cave entrance, his two companions following close behind. As he was about to cross the threshold of the cave entrance, however, he slammed into a wall. Ebony and Rose, unable to stop in time, ran into the recoiling Monferno, and the three Pokémon fell backwards in a heap.

"What in the..." Grumbled Blaze as the three Pokémon began to untangle themselves.

"Get your claw out of my back!" Yelled Rose.

"Get your hair out of my face!" Yelled a muffled Ebony.

"Ouch! Blaze, watch your tail!"

"Yow! You steeped on my foot!"

After a minute or so, the trio managed to get back to their feet and brush themselves off. As Rose fretted with her hair, and Ebony straightened some of her crooked tail feathers, Blaze walked curiously back up to the cave entrance. The Monferno reached out to put a hand through the cave, but his hand hit a smooth wall.

Blaze tilted his head in confusion, as he tried to push against the invisible wall; it held firm. What was this? It wasn't glass; no, glass couldn't be that clear. Blaze pushed harder and the wall seemed to bend slightly, the image of the cave entrance warped as it did. Pushing as hard as he could, Blaze tried to break through the barrier; it warped a bit more, but held firm.

As Blaze stepped back, the wall wobbled into its original, invisible state. Rose and Ebony had just stepped up next to Blaze, when a clown-like face suddenly appeared out of the darkness of the cave. Startled, the three Pokémon jumped back a step as a Mr. Mime appeared behind the invisible barrier. The red and white Pokémon smiled widely at the three travelers and did a little jig of glee.

"Ha ha, ho ho, he he, hay hay; three travelers come to see me today!" The Mr. Mime sang as he danced in a high pitched, jester-like voice.

Baffled by the strange Pokémon, Blaze, Rose, and Ebony watched as the Mr. Mime continued his little song and dance.

"You all stay quiet, for this is true; wondering probably, what to do."

Rose was the first one to recover from surprise, and address the rhyming Pokémon.

"Yes, uh, hello. We'd like to enter the cave please," She said as she stepped forward.

The Mr. Mime smiled wide, and clapped his hands in a gleeful manner as he continued to dance in place. Rose began to get the feeling that this guy wasn't going to be still any time soon.

"Enter the cave, that's what you say. But here I am, in the way!" The Pokémon laughed hysterically, and Rose began to question the sanity of the mime.

"Yeeeaah," Said Blaze, stepping up next to Rose, "So if you could just drop the barrier and let us through, that would be great."

The Mr. Mime put a hand on his hip and waggled his finger at Blaze, giving him a mock frown, "Tricko the Trickster is very nice, but to pass his wall you must pay the price!"

Finally, Ebbs joined the other two and raised an eyebrow at Tricko.

"Pay the price?" Asked Ebony.

None of the travelers had any money, so this sounded like it was going to be a major problem.

"A test! A riddle, for you three. Whether you pass, we shall see!" Tricko began to laugh again, and danced as he clapped his hands.

Baffled by the eccentric Pokémon, the three travelers stood and watched as Tricko danced and began to sing his riddle.

"I walk across an open field, long legs shining as I go. And when I reach the other side, the field is split in two," Tricko stopped dancing and held his arms out wide, "What am I?"

Thoroughly stumped, the three Pokémon huddled together to try and come up with an answer.

"Any idea what he's talking about?" Asked Blaze.

"Not a clue," Said Rose, shaking he head, "I didn't know there would be an entry test."

"Is there any other way in?" Asked Ebony.

"Not that I know of," Replied Rose.

Blaze sighed and scratched the back of his head.

Suddenly his ears perked up and he looked at Rose, "Hey, could you teleport us through? I bet all three of us could take him."

Rose shook her head and frowned.

"I can't teleport other things, only myself," Rose looked back over her shoulder at Tricko, "I could try to distract him if I get behind his barrier, maybe get him to break his focus…"

Rose trailed off as Ebony broke away from the group, and sauntered over to the cave entrance.

"Let me handle this dear," She called back over her shoulder.

Twirling the feather behind her ear on her claw, Ebony gave Tricko a dazzling smile as she approached him.

"Hey there, Tricky," She cooed, "Don't you think it would be best if you just let us through, without answering that silly riddle?"

Suddenly Ebony's eyes took on a soft pink glow, and as soon as Tricko looked into them, his eyes began to glow in a similar manner. The dancing mime slowly stopped moving and stared into Ebony's eyes, his mouth hanging slightly open.

"I mean, it was such a great riddle," Continued Ebony, her voice oozing like honey, "Only the smartest of Pokémon could have thought of it."

Tricko blushed slightly, and kicked some dirt inside the cave, "Oh, it was just..."

"And it would take an even smarter Pokémon to solve such a magnificent riddle," Interjected Ebony, approaching the barrier.

Ebony batted her rose tinted eyes at Tricko; Tricko smiled back at the sneaky Sneasel, his eyes glowing in unison.

"So," Pouted Ebony as she ran a claw along the barrier, "Will you please let us through?"

Tricko couldn't resist; with a wave of the mime's large, white hand, the barrier shimmered and faded. As Ebony stepped over the threshold, Blaze and Rose hurried to catch up to her.

"Thanks, sweetie," Ebony ran a claw under Tricko's chin as her two companions scurried past, vanishing into the darkness of the cave, "But I'm curious, what was the answer?"

"S-scissors," Stuttered Tricko as Ebony turned and followed the light from Blaze's tail.

The Sneasel's laughter echoed through the cave, as she disappeared into the inky blackness of the cave. As the pink glow faded from her eyes, Tricko stood up straight and shook his head, his eyes returning to normal.

"What just happened?"


	13. Chapter 13

As Blaze, Rose, and Ebony plunged headlong into the inky blackness of the cave, a deep, suppressing darkness surrounded the three travelers. The fire from Blaze's tail caused shadows to jump and dance along the narrow, rocky pathway as his tail swung back and forth while he walked. Though the path was narrow, with rock walls along either side, the ceiling was so high that none of the Pokémon could see it. This included even Ebony, who had the benefit of natural night vision.

Blaze led the way, using the light from his tail to guide him as the path began to slope slightly downwards. Rose followed closely behind, using the light from Blaze's tail and her own physic powers to keep her bearings. Lastly, Ebony brought up the rear, glancing back every once in a while to ensure that Tricko had not followed them.

Blaze was now happier than ever that Ebony had joined them. Without her, who knows how long it would have taken to get past Tricko. And along with her ability to see in the dark, she was a valuable asset in the pitch black cave. They were so close to finding the power for evolution, and Blaze felt he was about to burst from excitement.

Rose was equally if not more excited; and although she still had her suspicions about Ebony, she had to admit that the little flirt had come in handy. Maybe she had been a little quick to judge Ebony; she had gotten them into the last leg of their trip after all. And besides, her flirting wasn't _that_ annoying.

"Hehe," Giggled Ebony, peeking over Rose's shoulder, "Thanks for lighting the way for us Blazey; what we do without you?"

_"Check that,"_ Rose thought to herself, "_still very annoying."_

"Heh, not a problem Ebbs," Blaze replied, rubbing the back of his head, "It's nothing; just doing... GAH!"

Blaze yelled out and swatted over his head as a small something with wings swooped low towards him. The little blue creature quickly zipped back up into the blackness of the ceiling.

"What in the world," Blaze squinted upwards, but the light from his tail only went so far, and he saw nothing.

Suddenly Rose tilted her head as the group came to a stop. She was sensing lots and lots of small pieces of energy above them, but she couldn't quite make out what it was. There were so many of them that they seemed to completely fill the unseen ceiling above them, but there was no way there were that many Pokémon, it had to be a moss or fungus growing on the rocky walls.

Curious at what had made Blaze cry out, Ebony looked upwards, and immediately wished she hadn't. The Sneasel gulped and poked Rose softly in the back.

"R-rose," She stuttered.

"Not now Ebony, I think Blaze just saw something."

"Rose, this is serious," Whispered Ebony urgently.

Blaze stood on his tip toes and stretched his tail as high as it could go, but still he couldn't see anything.

"In a minute," Replied Rose, brushing her off.

"Shh! Be quiet, and move as quickly and quietly forward as you can!" She whispered frantically.

"What? Why?" Asked Rose, a sick feeling forming in her stomach.

She didn't like the way Ebony was staring fearfully into the blackness above. Before she could alert Blaze however, the curious little fire monkey made a tragic mistake. Calling up one of his old moves, Blaze breathed in and then heaved, shooting several bright, red hot embers up at the ceiling.

"Oh no…," Mumbled Ebony, her head feather drooping down.

The trio watched, one in curiosity, one in anticipation, and one in fear, as the embers flew upward towards the ceiling. Like a flare in the night, the small embers illuminated the rocky walls as they soared upwards. After a few seconds of flight, the embers hit the ceiling, or more specifically, what was on the ceiling, and burst into a shower of sparks. A loud squeak echoed through the cave as the Ember hit its mark.

The light from the move illuminated the ceiling for only a second, but it was enough for Rose and Blaze to get an eyeful of what was up there. Hundreds... no, _thousands_ of Zubat clung to the ceiling in a deep midday snooze. Needless to say, they were unhappy to have a bright, blinding light shot towards them as they slept. Especially the one who had just had his back scorched by an Ember.

"Run" Squeaked Rose.

As the trio took off at full speed down the narrow path, a deafening chorus of high pitched squeaks began to drop down all around them. The beating of their feet along the rock was drowned out by the thunderous sound of thousands of flapping wings as they ran.

Blaze dropped to all fours and scurried forward, trying to get as low as possible to avoid the fangs of the many bat Pokémon. As Rose stumbled to stay with Blaze, she shielded herself and the others as much as she could by holding a Protect over their heads. The shield soon dissipated, however, as several Zubat managed to fly under the barrier and batter Rose in the face, causing her to lose focus.

Ebony fared better than her two companies, being able to see the Zubat coming. She fended for herself with tooth and claw, darting forward in short bursts as she dodged mobs of Zubat. The three panicked Pokémon ran in this manner for several minutes down into the depths of the cave.

As they were pelted with nicks and cuts, the path began to gradually slope downward more and more, until Blaze felt he was sliding more than running. Then, as if the universe was playing a joke on him, Blaze tripped over a bump in the path and began to roll downward at an alarming rate.

"Blaze!" Yelled Rose in alarm as the Monferno disappeared into the blackness.

Rose skidded to a halt in front of the sudden drop in the cave. Ebony, who was distracted by the Zubat, slammed into Rose's back and sent the two of them tumbling after Blaze. After about twenty seconds of bouncing, bumping, and rolling down the tunnel, the cave opened up to a huge underground cavern.

Blaze got a mouthful of dust, as his trip down the steep tunnel ended with him sliding belly first into the clearing. As Blaze lifted himself up on his elbows, the alarmed yells of Rose and Ebony reached his ears. Before he had a chance to move. The two tangled Pokémon rolled out into the clearing and landed on top of the Monferno.

"Uhhhh," Moaned Rose, stars in her eyes.

"Ohhhh," Lamented Ebony, her tail feathers bent and crooked.

"Gerroff!" Yelled a muffled Blaze, who was finding it hard to breathe.

As Blaze pulled himself out from under his dazed female companions, he realized something strange, he could see. The entire cavern they had rolled into was well illuminated by a large, glowing pool of water in its center. They were maybe twenty feet away from the strange, blue glowing water. The soft light cast shadows all around the walls as it hit the numerous stalactites and stalagmites that dotted the floor and ceiling.

Blaze, however, didn't have time to explore the curious pool as Zubat began to pour out of the tunnel in droves. Their high pitched screeches mingled together and reverberated around the cavern. Blaze tried to make out what they were saying, but their voices all blended together in an indistinguishable mass of sound.

As the Zubat swarmed around the ceilings stalactites, Blaze grabbed his two dazed friends and laid them next to a large stalagmite. Taking off his pack and laying it next to his friends, Blaze readied himself for a fight. He didn't know how long he was going to last against so many Zubat, but he had to at least try. Blaze was cut and bruised in many places already from the bites he had already received and his tumble down the tunnel. But still he was prepared to fight. Jumping up to the top of the pointed rock, Blaze bared his fangs and beat his chest, his tail flame shooting up as he did.

At first, his show of bravado worked, and the Zubat were hesitant to dive at him. But after a moment, the braver ones began to swoop towards the Monferno, shooting volleys of Poison Sting at hi as the dove. Blaze quickly jumped and spun into Flame Wheel, incinerating the stings and scattering the small group as he spun into them.

Blaze landed deftly on another stalagmite and turned as another group detached itself from the mass and flew at him. This time, they launched a series of Supersonic at Blaze. Thinking quickly, Blaze buzzed into a double team and bounded from rock to rock, dodging the confusing move. The battle proceeded like this for several minutes until the hoard of Zubat realized that Blaze only stood a chance because they were attacking him in small groups.

As Blaze finished up another Flame Wheel and settled on the ground in front of the lake, he looked up and grimaced. The Zubat were forming themselves into a veritable tornado of wings and fangs, with Blaze at the epicenter. The bat Pokémon stayed cleverly out of the fire monkeys range and began to rain Poison Stings down upon him.

Blaze dodged wildly, running and jumping from rock to rock; everywhere he stepped was pelted with tiny stingers. Finally the Zubat pinned Blaze under an overhanging rock, their stings falling like rain around Blaze.

Blaze cursed his bad luck as he hid under the rock. He had no way of reaching his opponents, his best moves didn't reach them and Ember wasn't going to cut it. He could try to climb the walls, they were rocky enough. But the Zubat would almost certainly take him out before he reached the top. Blaze slammed his fist against the rock. What could he do?

As Blazes breathing became rapid in his anger, he was surprised to find that his mouth became hot, and sparked with a small flame. Suddenly something clicked inside Blazes head. Feeling his insides begin to churn with energy, he realized what he could do. A move he had wanted to be able use for a long time, and now he knew he could do it. Looking for an opening, Blaze touched the ground and grinned as he saw that it wasn't solid rock, but hard packed dirt. Wasting no time, he began to Dig.

Meanwhile, Rose and Ebony had finally regained their senses and were now taking cover behind the stalagmite Blaze had left them at. Rose was dangerously low on energy on account of all the damage she had taken in the tunnel. Ebony was better off, but still in no fighting shape. She had banged he head real hard on a large rock when she and Rose had rolled down the tunnel. After looking at the swarm of Zubat circling the overhanging rock, Rose groaned and steadied herself on the stalagmite.

"Ebony," Muttered Rose weakly.

"Yeah… honey?" Replied Ebony, gripping her throbbing head.

What Rose was about to ask made her sick to her stomach, but Blaze needed help.

"Can you, can you fight the Zubat?" Asked Rose.

The question caught Ebony off guard, she was in no shape to battle.

"Well, not at the moment..."

"I mean," Said Rose, cutting her off, "Could you fight them if you weren't hurt?"

Ebony gave Rose a strange look, then nodded her head.

"Yeah." She said. "I know a move or two."

"Good," Sighed Rose, "Now then..."

Setting her back against the pointed rock, Rose held out her hands towards Ebony as they began to glow pink. Suddenly the pink energy formed into a ball and shot out towards the baffled Sneasel. The ball connected with Ebony's chest and instantly spread throughout her.

"Go... help Blaze," Said Rose woozily as she slid to the ground.

Ebony sucked in a breath as the healing move flowed through her limbs. Like magic, her head stopped beating and her cuts and bruises sealed up instantly. As Ebony's tail and head feathers straightened themselves, she nodded towards Rose, a slight grin on her lips.

"You got it, honey."

As Ebony rushed out into the open, she dashed towards the edge of the water, knowing that would be the place that gave her the best field of vision. Right before she reached the small, stalagmite-less clearing. The ground beneath that area erupted and a familiar Monferno popped out up and shook the dirt out of his fur. Apparently she wasn't the only one who planned to use the lake's light to their advantage. As she hurried to Blaze's side, he glanced towards her and pointed towards the column of Zubat about thirty feet away.

"Get their attention," He said.

As he spoke, Ebony felt a wave of heat hit her in the face. Where did that come from? Ebony was about to ask in her usual, teasing way of talking to Blaze. But quickly realized that now was not the time. Blaze was dead serious, and his voice lacked its usual jovial tone. Ebony had never seen him like this before; Blaze looked mean, hungry, and ready for a fight. She liked it.

"One swarm of disgusting bats coming your way," Replied Ebony sarcastically.

Holding her hands one over the other, Ebony formed a softball sized chunk of ice out of the moisture in the air. Lifting it behind her head, Ebony smirked and called out to the Zubat.

"Hey idiots; over here!"

Ebony whipped her arm down, and the Ice Shard flew at an alarming rate towards the Zubat. The ice chunk slammed into the column of Zubat and shot straight through, taking out several of them. The defeated Pokémon fell to the ground and flapped weakly back into the tunnel. Breaking the circular formation, the now enraged group of Zubat flew in a huge mob towards the two fighters.

As Ebony threw Ice Shard after Ice Shard at the group, Blaze steadied himself and curled his arms to his chest, gathering his energy. Tilting his head down, Blaze felt a fire light in his stomach and his eyes flew wide open. Taking a hard step forward, Blaze threw his arms down to his sides, his fists clenched and arms locked in ninety degree angles. The fire inside him exploded from his mouth in a stream of intense, red hot flames.

Abony was forced to take a few steps back from Blaze, as she continued to pelt the group of Zubat with Ice Shard. The intense heat making it difficult for her to form the ice. The Zubat were startled as the Flamethrower ripped through their ranks, taking out a whole row of the bat Pokémon. They fell to the ground, smoking and charred and after a moment fled back to the cave.

Though the fiery move made a serious dent in the Zubat's numbers, still they dove towards the fire and ice duo. Blaze paused for a second, caught his breath, and then let loose another powerful flamethrower out towards the swarm; knocking out another row. Blaze was uncertain for a moment if they were going to be able to fight off the stubborn Pokémon. They never seemed to end, and were almost upon himself and Ebony. Then, just as he was about to call out to Ebony to retreat, a bolt of yellow electricity zigzagged over his head chained throughout the Zubat.

"Don't stop," Called a voice from the water, "Keep fighting."

Not having time to look back, Blaze continued to fire his Flamethrower at full power. With the combined power of his fire, Ebony's ice, and whatever was in the water's electricity, the swarm of Zubat soon moved back towards the tunnel and retreated to the inky blackness.

Heaving from exhaustion, Blaze and Ebony turned to the water to thank their electrical backup. When they did, Blaze would have burst out laughing if he hadn't been so tired. No wonder the water was glowing so brightly. A pod of Lanturn poked their heads out of the water, their antennae shining a bright yellow as they tread water.

"Hello," Said the Lanturn closest to the edge of the water, "Nice to meet you."

"Heh; ditto," Chuckled Blaze.


End file.
